Just The Way You Are
by What's My Username
Summary: What happens to Jacob when Bella is finally gone? Will an old high school memory become his life? [Beware: Chapter 22 has a "scene" towards the end. Thank you!]
1. Chapter 1

**One**

"Evangeline, get up, you'll be late for school." Darla spoke to her daughter through her white door, soon walking away to get herself ready for work. "Don't make me come back here in five more minutes."

The girl groaned from being tired and also from slight annoyance; she_hated_it when her mom called her by her full name. She just never got the hint that Eve was good enough—if not, better—than saying her full name.

Nevertheless, Eve got up and stretched in her bed, soon getting out and traveling towards her closet. She walked in and began to look through her shelves of clothes. She picked out a Linkin Park band tee and some faded jeans, walking into her room and grabbing a bra and panties as she made her way down the hall and into the bathroom for a quick shower.

She exited the shower with a towel around her torso and dried herself off with the cloth. She then began to get dressed, doing her best to ignore the tag on her shirt that read "XXL" and her pants that read "20". Even though she didn't see them, she was still disgusted with herself.

She hated being this…_large_. She hated being fat.

She knew that there were people in the world who didn't care that they were a bit heavy set, and a few who even embraced it, but she definitely wasn't one of them. She was envious of them, she admired them. She wished that she could be so carefree. She wished that she didn't care so much about what other people thought about herself. Perhaps she could've been though if she wasn't sentenced to the hell hole, the prison, that made her feel so inferior—high school. She was thankful that today was the second to last day of her confinement, and soon she would be over with her freshmen year.

After getting dressed, she began to comb her hair, not using the blow drier since she decided to let it air dry so it would be naturally wavy. She looked at herself in the mirror once more, and her stomach instantly sucked itself in—it was second nature to her.

She headed down the hallway and walked into the kitchen, making her usual breakfast of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and sitting down at the white, countertop bar. She scooped the food into her mouth and forgot everything that was worrying her before. It all just seemed to evaporate into nothing.

"Good morning, honey," Her mom called as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She put some toast into the toaster and turned the dial, soon starting it and waiting for it to be done. "How'd you sleep?"

"Alright," Eve replied, soon spooning more food into her mouth.

Her mom frowned at her lack of a detailed answer, though she was glad Eve hadn't just replied with a mumble. "Your father called last night. He said that he'd be more than happy to have you over for the summer." She said, beginning to butter and jam her toast that had just popped up. "His new wife, Joanne, really wants to meet you as well since you couldn't attend their wedding in Hawaii."

"Sounds nice," She mumbled, sighing as she put her bowl into the sink. "I guess I'll go, I haven't seen him in a while."

"Great," Darla smiled enthusiastically. "I'll tell your father when I get to work. Remember that tonight I'm leaving for my business trip in New York, so pack your things tomorrow night."

Eve nodded and grabbed her backpack from the living room floor, wished her mom a good day at work, and began the ten minute walk to school.

As Eve entered the gates of La Push High School, she could instantly feel what was left of her self-confidence plummet, becoming soon non-existent. She walked with her head down, telling herself over and over again to not make eye-contact with anyone. She hoped that today would consist of no social interaction with anyone—not even a teacher.

A large shoulder bumped into her own, and she lost all her books that were in her grasp to the concrete floor. She blushed with embarrassment as people began to chatter, whisper and laugh, pointing their fingers at her.

"Oh crap, sorry," The boy apologized. "Here let me help you."

She didn't say anything, hoping he would just walk away and leave her alone—he had done enough already hadn't he? The boy wouldn't have it though, and so he began to help Eve pick up her belongings that were scattered messily upon the floor.

The two of them stood up after collecting all the items and Eve began to make them organized again. She was still cherry red, and her eyes began to water as people became louder with their gossip and laughter at her.

"Here you go," he said, handing her the last few of her papers.

"Thanks…" Eve mumbled, looking up to meet his gaze.

Her dark brown eyes connected with his, and something about them made her stop breathing, made everything come to a halt. A spark ignited in her being and stripped everything out of her mind—her worries, her problems, her thoughts—and replaced it all with his image: his cropped black hair, tan skin that was a bit darker than her caramel tone, his large lips that looked irresistible to her, and his large, masculine figure.

A sort of giddiness grew inside of her and she was both worried and happy. She was worried because she knew that the feeling wouldn't last—she was worried because she knew that she would get too caught up with this boy and get hurt in the end, just like always. And she was happy… well, she didn't particularly know why she was happy, and that fact alone made her a bit_more_worried.

All of a sudden, she was brutally shunned back into reality…

"Look at her, thinking she's got a chance with Black!" One student yelled, causing the rest of them to burst out in laughter.

She took the papers out of his hands and quickly turned, rushing madly up the stairs and out of sight.

"Wait!" The boy called out for her to stop though she didn't dare.

She didn't want a bigger commotion to be made…_especially_over her…

She walked with haste and into the bathroom, making her way into the handicapped stall and leaning up against the wall, just letting her tears cascade down her cheeks freely. From outside she could hear the boy asking where she had gone and she felt angry at him—why was he so persistent? Did he wish to embarrass her further?

The bell rang for class to start and she heard everyone's footsteps vanish.

"Maybe I should just leave…" She mumbled quietly to herself.

She unlocked the door and quietly made her way out of the stall and into the hallway. The boy stood there leaning up against the wall, patiently waiting for her to leave.

He looked up and smiled warmly once he saw she was out. "Hey," He greeted her kindly.

She was shocked that he was still there—he'd get in trouble for not being in class. Not only was she shocked, she was a little irritated. She wanted to be alone right now, sulk on her own. She didn't need someone trying to show her sympathy.

It made her feel all the more vulnerable…

She sighed in annoyance before pushing past the boy, ignoring his presence as he followed her.

"My name's Jacob." He introduced, sticking out his hand as they both continued walking, soon retracting it back towards his body when he realized that she wasn't going to be shaking it. "I heard that your name's Evangeline—is that right?" She didn't respond, hoping that he would get the idea to leave her alone—he didn't.

She didn't know what she could do. He was persistent, and no matter how much she loved the attention she was getting for once in her life, it was getting on her nerves. She just wished she could turn back into her invisible self and feel safe once again.

"It's a really pretty name." He commented.

She wanted to thank him, blush madly, and maybe even chat a little. She wouldn't though. She remembered what one of her immature classmates had said earlier, and she continued on, walking faster than before.

_It's probably just to make fun of me further,_She told herself.

"Is—"

"What do you_want_?" Eve finally snapped, turning to face him. "I don't_have_anything and I certainly don't_look_like anything!" Tears began to spill over and down her cheeks, making Jacob feel awful for making her cry. "Just leave me alone and stop trying to act like you care!"

She spun around and began to run down the stairs, Jacob watching her leave with broken, misty eyes. He watched her go down the last flight of stairs, and as another student was passing her, he lightly bumped her shoulder, making her lose her balance and causing her to fall down the last few stairs. His stomach contorted itself into knots and he felt himself tremble with anger. He began to bound down the stairs, jumping a few at a time, and finally was helping Eve to her feet.

"Are you alright?"

"I think I sprained my ankle." She answered shakily, more tears cascading down as she stood on her own.

Jacob's head snapped upright when he heard chuckling, the boy who had harmed her was laughing. "The fat ass can't keep her balance," He mused through his laughter.

Jacob growled and charged at him, punching him, breaking his nose on contact. Eve gasped at what he had done and soon campus security was trying to get them off of each other.

Eve turned and began to run out of the gates and home, soon limping her way there because her ankle hurt, and also because she didn't have the stamina to run any further.

As Eve got home, she closed the door behind her and began to sob to herself. She threw her bag onto the living room floor and headed up the stairs and into her room, slamming it with enough force to shake her room's walls. She collapsed onto the bed and grabbed her black pillows, soaking them with her salty tears as she began to let all her fury, all of her regret, all of her_hurt_out.

She sat up in bed and looked around her room. Her eyes landed upon a mirror and she looked at herself.

Her naturally wavy hair was frizzy, wild, and sticking out in directions that defied gravity. Some strands were hanging to her_chubby_, red, tear stained cheeks. She was a tall girl, around 5'10", and with that long figure came slenderness, however there was none on her. She was curvy in the middle, and_not_how other teenage girls wanted to be—she was_fat_.

She rolled back her shoulders and sat up with a straighter posture, but it didn't help her stomach that still showed itself. She scowled at the mirror, and then let out a few soft sobs before throwing everything within her reach at it.

"Ugly!" She screamed, infuriated at the image before her. "So fucking ugly!"

She threw a hardcover book at the object and a large crack appeared, splitting her up into five different sections. After letting out a shaky sigh, she let her head fall into her palms, beginning to cry about how pitiful she was for attacking a mirror in anger of what it showed her—of_how_it showed her.

She soon collapsed backwards after her crying fit, and fell asleep to escape the reality she hated.

Darla came home earlier than she usually did to make sure she had everything for her business trip later that night. She walked up the stairs and passed her daughter's room, seeing the light on from underneath the door. She walked inside to see Eve asleep on her bed, cheeks tearstained, and looking helpless.

She frowned. Seeing her daughter as such broke her heart. Her daughter was beautiful to her, no matter what her appearance looked like. Though, she would always think so because Eve meant the world to her. She knew that once again the bullying had been taken up a notch. No matter how many times she had talked with the principal about the bullying, they never did anything about it. She was just about ready to go to the school board to have the matter heard.

Darla sat next to her daughter and patted her legs a few times to wake her up. "Honey," She called. "Evangeline, wake up."

"Mom, it's_just_Eve…" She mumbled.

"I know, I know," Darla rolled her eyes. "So… spill, what happened…?"

Eve sat up with a sigh, not wanting to remember the whole ordeal. After rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked at her mom with her red, puffy brown orbs. "I got to school and a guy accidentally bumped into me. He helped me pick up my things and he was… hot so I stared like an idiot, and then someone yelled that I thought I had a 'chance' with him." She said, fiddling with her thumbs. "So then I just ran into the bathroom and he was waiting for me outside even though the bell rang. He told me his name and—"

"Ooh," Darla grinned giddily. "What was it—maybe he likes you." She teased.

Eve rolled her eyes, biting down on her tongue so she wouldn't smile goofily like her mom wanted her to. "Jacob… Black…? I can't remember…"

"Jacob?" She looked slightly shocked. "Billy's kid?" Eve wondered how her mom knew him. "Billy's wife and I used to be friends before she died in the car accident. You're right, the boy is very clean. I approve."

"Mom!" She yelled. "He's not my boyfriend!"

Darla giggled. "I know, I'm only kidding."

Eve smiled, happy that her mom could turn her worst days around with no problem at all. "So he followed me from the bathroom and asked all these different questions and I snapped at him." Eve ran a hand through her wavy hair to get it out of her face before looking at her mom. "Then I ran down the stairs and some boy tripped me—"

"Are you alright, honey?" Darla asked urgently. "What's his name—do you know? This is serious!"

"Mom, I'm fine, just a few scrapes and a sprained ankle."

Darla stood up angrily from the bed. "I swear I'm giving that stupid principal of yours and the school board a piece of my mind!" She yelled.

"Don't you want to know what happened next?" Eve questioned casually, knowing that her mom would forget about what she was saying before.

Just as predicted, Darla didn't speak and simply plopped back down onto the bed. "What else happened?"

"Jacob ran down the stairs, helped me up and gave the boy a bloody nose." Eve answered. "That's when I left and came home."

"Aw, your boyfriend is sticking up for you. I_definitely_approve." She smiled.

"_Mom_!"

"I know, I know," Darla laughed, pulling Eve into a one armed hug, kissing the top of her head lovingly. "How are your grades?"

"A's, why do you ask?"

"I'll go ahead and call your father right now." She sighed. "You'll be on the next plane out of here tonight, so start packing. Missing the last day of school isn't the end of the world."

"Really?" Eve's mouth was agape.

"Yes, you don't deserve to go through another day of hell. Start packing and I'll buy you your plane ticket."

"Thank you, thank you!" Eve yelled, engulfing her mom joyfully.

Darla nodded. "Just start packing so you're ready."

Eve didn't need to be told twice as she got out her largest luggage bag and began to fill it with articles of clothing. 

She couldn't wait to get away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

Both Eve and Darla took a shuttle bus later that night to the Port Angeles airport, where they would both be going their separate ways for a long while. The ride there was a silent, comforting one as Darla had one arm around her daughter's shoulders protectively, telling her how much she loved her and would miss her during their time apart.

After paying and tipping the driver, they both got off the van and began to walk with their things to the terminals. The intercom went off announcing that Eve's flight would soon begin the boarding process, and the two walked over to Gate A46 to say their final goodbyes.

They stopped before the line and engulfed each other in a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Eve," Her mom spoke shakily, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you, too, mom." Eve replied, tightening her grip around her mother's small frame.

"Call me whenever you have the chance. Don't leave out any details, I want to hear everything." Darla instructed. "Be good to Joanne and your father, tell them I say hello and hope everything's alright. Email me pictures of everything you do."

"I know, mom, I will." Eve nodded.

Darla kissed Eve's head for a few seconds and then let her go. "You be careful."

"I will, I promise."

Darla smiled sadly. "That's my girl, have fun over in California."

"Thanks mom, bye."

They exchanged a quick hug before Eve got in line, showing her boarding pass to the attendant who smiled kindly and wished her a good flight allowing her through the door.

Eve and Darla exchanged one final goodbye before Eve headed down the long hallway that led to the plane that was headed away from home, and to her refuge—Beverly Hills, California.

After an hour or so of frequent turbulence and the continuous blare of the plane's engine, it finally touched down in Los Angeles International Airport. She was ushered off the plane by flight attendants, and was soon heading towards the baggage claim. As her few bags fell from the chute, she quickly grabbed them and walked towards the exit.

"Should I call dad…?" She mumbled quietly to herself.

She looked around quickly to see if he wasn't in plain sight, when she saw a middle aged man holding a white card that read "Evangeline Blair" she approached him slowly.

She cleared her throat and smiled. "Hi… I'm Evangeline."

The man looked her over. "Do you have identification?" He questioned. "It's protocol that I ask you."

She quickly grabbed her passport and showed him the small navy booklet.

He smiled kindly and stuck out his hand. "Hello Ms. Blair, my name's Anthony Calloway and I'll be your driver." He shook her hand slowly before grabbing her bags. "Please get in and I'll take you to your father's home."

He put the bags into the back of the large, black SUV and closed the door for Eve, rushing around the front of the car and getting into the driver's seat.

Eve was surprised that she was given a chauffeur. She honestly didn't expect it. Eve hadn't seen her dad in about two years; during that time he must have come into a good job for him to be able to get a personal driver.

After driving through downtown Los Angeles, where lit up skyscrapers towered over her, she fell in love with the city instantly. She loved the hustle and bustle of it all. It was something else compared to boring ole La Push where the most exciting thing was a day without rain.

She couldn't wait for the sun to come up to reveal how it looked in the day.

Eve ended up at the front steps of a large three story home, with a White House sized front lawn, and intimidating, white double doors.

_I have to have the wrong house…_She thought.

"Here goes nothing," She mumbled, ringing the doorbell.

A few seconds passed before a girl opened the door. She was tall, like Eve, however, _she _was skinny. She had dirty blonde hair, fair, light skin, and green eyes that had a bit of hazel mixed in. Immediately Eve felt her self-confidence plummet—it was like high school all over again.

The girl's jaw dropped a bit and her thin eyebrows scrunched themselves together, trying to figure out who Eve was and what she wanted. "Um, who are you?" She asked bluntly, catching Eve off guard.

"My name's Evangeline Blair."

The blonde's eyes squinted as she shook her head. "What's your point?"

"Did I get the wrong house? Does Evan Saunders live here?"

"What do you want with my stepdad?" She questioned.

"I'm his daughter, Evangeline. I've come to visit him."

She looked Eve over suspiciously. "Wait here." She ordered.

The girl slammed the door in Eve's face, making her jump in surprise. She felt her heart race and she wondered if she had made the right decision coming here.

The door reopened to reveal her dad, a wide grin on his lips. He had gotten more wrinkles around his mouth and forehead, and his skin seemed paler than per usual, almost like he was sick. His brown hair was sticking up like usual and had started graying.

"Hey kiddo, I haven't seen you in forever." He brought her into his warm and welcoming embrace quickly. "You've gotten taller since I saw you last."

"Hey dad," Eve smiled, hugging her dad just as tightly as he was hugging her before letting him go. "I've missed you."

"You have no idea how much I've missed you, Eve." He tousled her hair, making her laugh lightly. "C'mon, I'll introduce you."

He closed the front door and led her into what she thought was the living room. On a large red sofa sat the girl who she had just seen and another older woman. She was blonde as well, with the same light skin, but with blue eyes. She smiled at the two of them and stood to greet them.

"Hello," She stuck her hand out. "My name's Joanne Saunders, Evan's wife. You must be Evangeline, his daughter, and my new stepdaughter."

Eve shook her hand and gave a small smile back. "It's nice to meet you, Joanne. My mom says hello and hopes that you're doing fine."

She grinned happily. "Thank you," She looked over her shoulder and motioned for her daughter to be with them. "This is my daughter, Dylan. Say hello Dylan."

"Hi," She said curtly, earning a smack from Joanne. She swallowed hard. "It's very nice to meet you, Evangeline." She forced out through gritted teeth.

"You're very tall," Joanne mused aloud. "How tall are you exactly, Evangeline?"

"Please, just call me Eve. I'm five feet and ten inches."

"I don't mean to sound rude, Eve, but if you lost some weight, you would look absolutely gorgeous." Joanne spoke, Eve blushed madly and Dylan snickered at her. "Dylan, shush up." She ordered, and Dylan did as she was told immediately. "I work with The Limited Brands and we always need models. They're in constant demand. If you'd like to do something like that, tell me and I can help you."

"Thank you for the offer," Eve spoke shyly.

Joanne nodded her head, her same smile still plastered to her thin pink lips. "I can make a quick call if and whenever you'd like. I personally think you'd make a wonderful addition." She turned to Dylan who stiffened up. "Dylan, show Eve to her room."

"Yes, mother,"

She began to walk and Eve followed her, carrying her luggage in her hands. She walked up the stairs and down the corridor to a room that had double doors.

"Here it is, _sister_." Dylan spoke, opening the doors.

There was a king-sized bed on the right with mounds of white pillows at the headrest. On the other side was a desk with a bookshelf next to it. Next to the desk was a plasma television with speakers on each side of it. The flooring was white carpet and so were the curtains that were draped over the windows.

"A stylist is coming tomorrow so you can tell him how you want your room to be." Dylan stated, looking at her nails for any imperfections. "And if I were you…" She paused, looking at Eve with judgmental eyes. "I'd lose some of that _fat_ before you even _think _about accepting my mother's offer. No _serious _modeling agency would ever accept someone who looks like you."

Dylan went to close the door and Eve couldn't believe what had come out of her mouth next.

"What do you suggest?"

Dylan halted, reopened the doors, a smirk on her full pink lips. "You know, Eve… there may just be hope for you left." She motioned for Eve to come closer. "Come with me."

Dylan led her down the hallway and into a bathroom, locking the door behind them. She turned the faucet's water on and she pulled up the toilet seat cover.

She then taught Eve what to do.

She taught Eve how to throw up.

And so the metamorphosis began…


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

There were flashes all around.

"Give me a pouty look, Eve!"

The girl did as she was told, earning a smile and more clicks of the camera. She did multiple poses—provocative and innocent ones—and it was all coming together perfectly.

The photographer loved her.

The camera loved her.

And she loved herself.

"That's a wrap, Eve." Alex smiled, clapping his hands together. "That was lovely, mio caro!"

She giggled, walking over and hugging the photographer. "Grazie, Alex." She spoke in Italian. "I'm sure the cover will come out brilliantly thanks to you."

"Thank you, Eve. You can go ahead and leave, you did a great job."

Eve smiled and nodded, thanking Alex for his time and for taking the photos before heading towards the trailer she was assigned. She changed back into her regular clothes that hugged her figure nicely and looked at herself in the mirror.

She wasn't the girl she was before. She was social. She was liked. And she was skinny. Throwing up had worked. It was her way to a fabulous figure. Sure, it wasn't only throwing up that got her to her new look; she worked out in the gym and ate healthy, but it sure quickened the process.

She ran her hands from her jean pockets, up her sides and back down again, letting herself feel the curves that were in the _right _places.

She smiled victoriously to herself, grabbing her Prada bag and walking out of her changing room, her chin held high and self-confidence overflowing.

"Nice job, sis," Dylan congratulated. "You nailed it."

"Thanks," Eve laughed, running her hands through her silky dark brown hair, letting it flip gracefully through the air. "We're heading home now, right?"

"Yup, our bags are already being put onto the jet; we just need to get over there."

Eve and Dylan were then driven towards the airport where they gossiped about how the magazine cover Eve had just shot for, _Elle Italia_, would look like. Eve couldn't wait to see it. She liked the clothes she had worn for it, and she knew that Alex was a great photographer.

Dylan and Eve reached the airport and walked through the terminals towards their gate. Before boarding the plane, Eve's phone began to ring.

Dylan looked at her sister quizzically, waiting for her.

"Go on," Eve told her. "I'll be there in a moment."

"Okay, just hurry."

Eve flipped her phone up and pressed the electronic to her ear.

"Hello, is this Evangeline Blair?"

"Yes, this is she. Who may I ask is calling?"

"My name is Doctor Carlisle Cullen with Forks General Hospital. We have your mother, Darla Blair, here. She's ill and needs someone to be here with her. You're the only family member in her contact list so would it be possible for you to come see her?"

Eve remained silent, letting it all sink in for a moment.

"Excuse me, Ms. Blair?"

"Y-yes… yes, I'll be right over as soon as I can. Thank you, Doctor Cullen, for calling me." Eve spoke, running a hand through her hair. "Goodbye."

Eve closed her phone and stared at the object for a few minutes, wondering if it all had really happened. Her cell vibrated with a text from Dylan and she knew that she was getting impatient.

She shook her head a few times, getting it out of the clouds, and walked towards the plane. She sat down next to Dylan who was staring at her in confusion.

"What took so long?"

"My mom…" She murmured. "My mom's in the hospital…"

"Mom's in the hospital?" Dylan asked, worried for Joanne.

"No, no… not _our _mom… _my _mom."

Dylan remained silent before whispering a silent "Oh".

The plane ride back to the States was a quiet, smooth one. Dylan had fallen asleep within the first thirty minutes of being up in the air while Eve sat stiff in her black, leather seat.

Eve was too shocked—too regretful—to even think about relaxing. In all honesty, she had forgotten about her mom back in that old, little reservation known as La Push. She got caught up in all the glamour and fame, and forgot one of the most important things in her life.

How could she have been so ignorant? How could she have been so selfish?

How could she…?

_I'm a horrible person… _She concluded. _I'm not worth anything. How could I have forgotten my own mom?_

Eve could feel her eyes sting, and see her eyes blur up with the tears that built up. As they fell down her cheeks, she quickly wiped them away so no one would see them, even though Dylan and she were the only ones there.

"I'm so sorry mom." She whispered.

Dylan and Eve landed at Los Angeles International and both got off of the plane quickly. Eve went rushing towards the parking structure where Anthony was waiting for them. After loading the luggage onto the vehicle, Anthony drove the two sisters home.

Before the car came to a halt inside the driveway, Eve unbuckled herself and jumped out in front of the door, running up the porch and inside the home. She sprinted down the hallway and into her dad's study room where he usually was to find him reading some of his work documents.

"Dad…" She panted.

He lost all concentration and looked up at his daughter, and gave her a smile. "Hello Eve," He got up from his black leather seat and walked around his large oak desk before engulfing her in a hug. "How was the flight back? How'd it all go?"

"Good, but did you get a phone call?"

"Oh yes, I did." His expression turned serious for a few seconds, and Eve's heart dropped. "Can you believe that _Elle Indonesia _wants to shoot a cover with you on it?"

Eve's heart didn't flutter like it usually did with good new concerning her modeling career, it stayed the same, in fact it seemed to slow down all the more. She didn't care for her career at the moment. It was the reason why she was in this predicament…! Perhaps if she had decided to go back home at the end of the summer two years ago when she was supposed to instead of deciding to stay with her dad, new mom and sister for the career, all this could've been avoided.

"No, I'm talking about mom."

"What about Joanne?"

"Not Joanne, _Darla_!" She screamed.

"Oh, Darla…" His voice trailed off, making Eve very irritated. "What about her?"

"Before my flight I got a call from the hospital over there. Mom was in the hospital and they asked me to go over."

"When were you leaving?"

She stayed silent, slightly confused at what he had just said. "Aren't you… aren't you coming with me…?"

"Um, I have tons of work to do here, I can't leave, Eve." He answered. "Besides, seeing your mother after so long… I don't think it'd be right."

"What… what kind of _shit _is that?" She looked at her dad in shock and slight disgust. "She's your ex-_wife_ and you share a _kid _with her! I would've thought you'd be a little more concerned for her! Or _act _like you are at the very least!"

"Evangeline, don't raise your voice at me. It's disrespectful."

Eve shook her head madly, biting her tongue so she wouldn't blow up on her dad like she wanted to at the moment. Tears built up in her brown pools and soon began to overflow. "_I'm _leaving. Now." She responded, backing out of the room slowly, pausing at the door and looking at her dad one final time. "And don't expect me to come back for a while."

"Eve, don't do this." He groaned.

She sprinted down the hallway, up the stairs and into her room, where she threw all of her suitcases onto her large bed. She raced around collecting every article of clothing and throwing it into them with haste, not caring if they were properly folded or not. Tears continued to cascade down her caramel cheeks as she worked.

She carried them all downstairs and out the door where Anthony was starting to take the luggage out of the car.

"Wait Anthony," She stopped him, and he looked at her curiously.

"Yes, Ms. Blair?"

"I have another flight to catch apparently," She said. "Could you take me back to LAX?"

He nodded, walking over to her luggage and picking it up. "Certainly."

"Thank you, Anthony."

He loaded her luggage and she got into the car. She got onto her phone's internet service and began to buy herself a ticket to Port Angeles, Washington. The next available flight would be taking off in less than an hour, and so she was soon being driven down the streets towards the airport.

She was dropped off with her three large suitcases and walked inside the large building with haste; she only had thirty minutes until take off. She got into line, and was soon at the front, being called up to be served. She checked her luggage in, received her ticket, and was told the gate number.

She was soon jogging down the hallway and through security, sprinting her way down the aisle towards her gate that would be ending the boarding process in only a few minutes. She sighed in satisfaction as she made it and was let onto the plane with no problems.

She sat down at her seat and fanned herself, cooling her hot face down from running so hard. The plane backed out in minutes and was soon speeding down the runway.

Eve's heart quickened as it soon left the ground.

She felt a bit happier, and a bit less stressed.

She'd soon be with her mom again.

She'd be where she belonged.


	4. Chapter 4

**Four**

The plane screeched, jumping up slightly a few times as it came back into contact with the runway. Eve was shaken awake and began to quickly compose herself, getting ready to jump up from her seat and disembark the craft.

As soon the airliner came to a halt, and the intercom went off, thanking them for choosing the airline, she jumped from her seat and made her way out. Her feet carried her down the somewhat familiar terminals and towards the luggage claim, where she grabbed each of her bags that came down from the chute above.

Eve walked out of the building and got into a line, waiting for a shuttle bus. After about a ten minute wait she was given a bus of her own and was being driven back to her old home in La Push.

She stared out the window and was shocked yet happy to find that nothing had really changed. Why would it? Nothing _ever _happened in the small town.

After a thirty minute ride, she arrived back at her home that looked more battered and wearier than ever. Its light blue paint was chipping and faded, muddy on the bottom. The grass looked wild, seeing as it was almost a foot in height. The roof was almost shingle-less, with only a few hanging onto it. After the driver got her bags off of the truck, Eve paid him and hurried on inside to escape from the chilling wind that suddenly started up.

She looked under the mat in front of her door to find that the spare key was gone. Eve cursed a few times under her breath and lugged her bags to the back of the house to see if there was another spot where it could be hiding. She searched in the planters and under them, not finding the key in the end.

"Crap, how am I going to get in?" She mumbled.

There was a clap of thunder and the graying sky lit up with a streak of lightning. Eve groaned in frustration and began to pick up all her suitcases and putting them onto the back porch so they would remain untouched by the falling drops of water.

On the ground she noticed a large rock that was the size of her fist, maybe a bit bigger. She didn't want to, however she didn't know how she would get in otherwise. Eve put her black hood up to protect her from the rain, and grabbed it from the muddy ground. She walked towards the side of the house where the larger windows were, and wound her arm back.

Eve took a breath to calm her nerves before catapulting the rock forwards with speed. It hit the window directly in the middle and the rest of it came crashing down with ease. Eve got a running start towards her house, seeing as it was elevated about three feet, and jumped up and into the window frame. She pulled herself forward and fell onto the shards of broken glass, scraping her knees and getting a few small cuts on her palms.

"Shit," She muttered, getting up from the ground and shaking herself free of any shards that were still on her.

Eve walked to the back door of the house and unlocked it, grabbing all of her belongings and hustling up the stairs with them. She walked into her room to find that nothing had changed about it. The only thing that was new was the amount of dust and cobwebs that were all around.

"Who are you?"

Eve jumped, screaming in surprise and fear of who was behind her. She spun around quickly, falling on her butt due to lack of balance and stared up at the boy.

He was dark skinned with a height much taller than her own, his dark brown eyes looked warm and inviting, his large lips looked irresistible and she wanted to do nothing but kiss them, and his black hair was cropped messily.

Eve's heart raced in her body, her mind went fuzzy and blank, her limbs now numb and useless. What was wrong with her? She couldn't remember being this awestruck since that boy helped her back when she was still at La Push High School.

It clicked. _This _was the boy, however, he was more mature now than before. His body had grown, his muscles were toned, and his new found masculinity was a bit of a turn on in Eve's eyes.

"Who are _you_?" Eve questioned, finally finding her voice.

He chuckled. "I asked first."

"Evangeline Blair, Darla Blair's daughter." She responded. "You?"

"Jacob Black."

"So... what are you... what are you doing here?"

Jacob extended his arm out and helped Eve to her feet, as he took back his hand, he noticed a few smears of blood on his hand. He looked at hers to find it was scratched up a bit.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Eve apologized quickly as soon as she noticed his hand.

"Come with me." Jacob ordered, taking her hand in his and leading her back down the stairs and into the kitchen.

He began to rummage through out the many cabinets and Eve could only assume he was looking for a first aid kit.

"The last cabinet on the left." She stated.

Jacob looked at her oddly before walking to the same cabinet and opening it to find the white box with "FIRST AID" written on it. He took it out and walked back over to her, setting it on the table. He motioned for her to sit on the table and she did so slowly.

He took her hand delicately in his and began to disinfect it, soon wrapping it up in a wad of bandages.

"You still haven't answered my question." Eve pointed out.

Jacob chuckled to himself. "I was driving with my dad and we saw you throwing a rock through the window and go jumping through it. My dad knows your mom so we stopped to see what was going on." He answered. "He thought you were a burglar or something."

Eve laughed along with Jacob, and when she heard it, she felt everything turn up. Their laughter together sounded so harmonious that it made the pain in her palm become nonexistent.

"So what are you doing here?" Jacob inquired.

Eve's smile faltered, soon disappearing from her face. Eve was reminded of why she was here, she was reminded of reality. "I got a phone call saying my mom was in the hospital." She replied.

"Oh," Jacob looked down at the floor, ashamed he brought up something so depressing, ashamed he had made her smile go away. "We just left there."

"Would you take me?" She asked quickly, leaning forward. "I mean, would you _please _take me there?" She rephrased. "I don't know how to get there and I don't even have a ride."

Jacob nodded. "Sure, sure," Eve enveloped the boy in a hug, and she didn't even really know why, it was as if her body moved on its own. "I just have to drop my dad off at home." He said.

"Alright, that's fine, thanks so much." She grinned.

"When do you want me to pick you up?"

"Whenever is fine with you is fine with me." Eve shrugged her shoulders and ran a hand through her hair.

"How about thirty minutes?"

"Sounds good." She nodded eagerly, the smile growing bigger.

"Okay, I'll be back in a while."

Eve nodded and walked Jacob to the door, saying goodbye and telling him to drive safely. He gave her a warm smile before saying he'd be back as fast as he could, soon driving off in his car.

Eve closed the door as soon as he was out of sight and bit her lip, thinking about him, how he had captured her attention so easily, how he had made her so dumbfounded when she first saw him, and how he had made her heart race with such excitement and happiness with only a smile.

After getting over Jacob Black, Eve made her way up the stairs and into her old room. Eve dusted off her dressers and put her clothes away into the drawers, putting them away just like before she had left La Push. She opened up the window with force, it was so old it squealed loudly as it opened, and let the misty air inside her room.

Eve's phone began to ring and she got it out from her pocket. She gave a slight grimace when she read who it was calling her, but answered it nonetheless, putting it up to her ear.

"Hello Jesse," She greeted in a fake, lively tone.

"Hey Eve," He responded in his smooth voice, Eve could just see his smirk on his lips. "Are you busy tomorrow, I was thinking we could go out to eat at that new restaurant on Sunset Boulevard and then go shopping on Rodeo Drive." He posed it as more of a statement than a question, and Eve became flustered.

"No, sorry, I can't." She answered. "I'm busy visiting family."

"Family? All your family is_here_in _Beverly Hills_, babe. What are you talking about?"

"It's complicated, Jesse." She sighed, rubbing her temple tiredly as a headache came about. "Listen, I'll talk to you later, alright? Bye." Eve closed her phone and rolled her eyes.

She _really _needed to dump her boyfriend...

**Five**

Eve was finishing up putting her clothes away when Jacob's voice could be heard from below. "Evangeline, open the door!" He bellowed.

Eve got up from the floor and looked out her window to see Jacob staring right back up at her. "It's open!" She called back to him.

He grinned before running up the porch stairs, out of sight, and could be heard coming up the staircase inside. Eve quickly put the rest of her clothes away so he wouldn't see the mess, and dusted herself off. He soon stood in the doorway with the same grin on his lips.

"Hey, were you ready?"

Eve nodded her head, grabbing a jacket and slipping it on. "Now I am, yea. Oh, and it's_just_Eve, no 'Evangeline'." She walked over to him and turned the lights off.

"Got it,_just_Eve." He smiled as he guided her down the stairs and to the front door.

A gust of wind made its way into the house and the two of them turned towards the window Eve had broken to get inside the home.

Eve grumbled. "Crap I forgot about that." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Now the rain's going to come in."

"We could try to cover it up somehow," Jacob suggested.

She turned to him, flashing a small smile. "Yea, but with_what_?"

"Maybe we could use one of your huge suitcases." He teased.

Eve laughed, punching him as hard as she could in the shoulder. "Not funny." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Do you think plastic wrap will do a good job?"

"Only if we use the entire roll." Eve answered. "And even_then_I don't think it'll help much."

"Well, we have to try something." He shrugged his shoulders and made his way into the kitchen, Eve following him like a lost puppy.

Eve looked for the plastic wrap where it usually was, and was happy that her mom didn't like to reorganize things much. They found a roll of duck tape and Eve and Jacob walked outside with them to the window.

"Here, try putting it on the inside." Eve laughed, handing him half of the plastic and giving him some of the tape.

He nodded in understanding, taking the objects and running inside the house. Eve put a large piece of plastic wrap over the window and got a long piece of gray duck tape. The rain hit Eve hard as it went from a soft drizzle to total downpour, soaking her jacket. The rain made the tape soggy and unusable and Eve gave up trying to cover the window.

Something caught her eye, and her head twisted slowly to the right, towards a wall of trees and shrubbery. She could barely make out two small red dots in the darkness that the trees created, and a pale face soon arose. She could barely make out the blond hair that was sticking to his forehead. She was once again captured by his red eyes and she became frightened.

_Get away from here, Eve._

"Eve!" Jacob came bolting out from the house and his eyes were coated with worry. He had smelt the leech from inside the house, and as soon as he saw Eve's unreadable expression, he didn't waste any time.

Eve's eyes darted from the man to Jacob, and when they returned back to the woods, he was gone, making Eve much more alert and shaken up. Was what she saw just her imagination playing tricks on her due to lack of sleep?

It_had_to be. There was no way he could appear one second and be gone the next. Besides, his eyes were red..._red_...! No human could possibly have such dark, crimson eyes like he had.

"Stupid jet lag..." She murmured under her breath.

"Hey, um, I fixed it from the inside." Jacob said quickly. "C'mon, let's go to the hospital to see your mom."

Once her mom was mentioned, Eve quickly spun around and was guided to Jacob's car, which was a Rabbit. He helped her in and got into the car himself. He started up the engine and they were soon driving down the road.

"So where did you come from?" Jacob inquired.

"Well, here, but I went over to California to live with my dad for a while. It was supposed to be only for a summer, but... things changed."

"What things?"

"Me."

"I doubt that."

Eve glanced over at him curiously, before shaking her head and dismissing the matter. "So how does your dad know my mom?" Eve questioned.

"Well, from what I know, my parents were friends with your mom before they had me and before your mom had you." He explained. "I don't really know much about it, actually."

"How old are you anyways?"

"I'm eighteen-years-old. You?"

"Seventeen." She answered. "You're_old_." She joked, sticking out her tongue playfully.

She didn't know why, but she felt comfortable around Jacob. If this were anyone else, she'd be slightly more reserved, more cautious, however with him, it seemed to come naturally. This boy was causing her to be out of character... and she kind of enjoyed it.

It was different.

It was_real_.

"So... is your coming back permanent?"

"Um, probably not." She sighed, running a hand through her hair and beginning to fiddle with her thumbs, becoming fidgety. "It all depends on how my mom is. Not to mention that I have a job and I have to go places."

"Oh, I see," Jacob mused, stiffening up as he held onto the wheel with both hands.

He wished that she had said "yes", that she had looked over at him, flashed a smile with her perfect white teeth, her eyes glistening with happiness, and said she'd stay with_him_forever.

There were a lot of things that Jacob was wishing for concerning Eve, though he wasn't going to brood over it for any longer. If he did, his heart would break, shatter completely, and he knew that he would take out his feelings on her. He didn't want that.

They arrived sooner than expected and were entering the large sliding doors with haste, Eve letting Jacob lead her towards the receptionist. Eve was given a large white sticker that read "VISITOR" in capitalized, bold letters, while Jacob still had his on from the earlier visit. Jacob guided her down the hallway and stopped in front of a room that had the door closed.

"This is it." Jacob stated.

Eve's heart began pound in her chest cavity, it seemed like it would pop out at any second. She hadn't_seen_her mom in two years. She hadn't_talked_or_thought_about her in a year and a half.

"Are you alright, Eve?"

Eve remembered what was happening and stopped zoning out immediately when she felt Jacob's large hand consume her left shoulder. She looked up at him and gave him a small nod. Eve stared at the handle for a minute and began to reach for it.

"Hello Jacob, is there something I can help you with?"

They both turned to see one of the hospital's doctors standing there with a clipboard in his hand. He was pale, paler than chalk, with amber eyes that were like honey with warm and caring emotions in them. His blond hair was sleeked back and made him look neat and tidy along with his white coat that hung over his broad shoulders.

"Hello Carlisle," Jacob greeted, clearing his throat. "This is Eve Blair, Darla's daughter."

Realization swept over Carlisle's face, and he soon was smiling at Eve kindly. "Ah, Evangeline, it's nice to finally meet you. My name is Doctor Carlisle Cullen, and I'm taking care of Darla." He held out his hand and he shook Eve's warmly. His icy, cold touch burned Eve's skin, though she didn't let it show. "Would you like to know what happened to your mother?"

"Please, Carlise," She nodded eagerly.

"Your mother was involved in a car accident. She was driving home when she went off the road and hit a tree head on. We believe that she had blacked out and that's why the accident occurred."

"But why would she black out?—I mean, she's_always_been healthy." Eve told him, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence.

"We looked back at her records and noticed that, too, Eve." Carlisle said. "We ran some tests and a CT scan of the head found that she had a brain tumor. It's a Meningioma brain tumor, it's next to the Olfactory groove, right between the nose and brain. We've had a pathologist examine it, and we believe that it's a grade three, which means that it's cancerous and it is fast growing. Malignant Meningioma tumors are rare, counting for only one-percent of all Meningioma cases, however, it does happen."

"Will this..." Eve tried to swallow the lump in her throat, get rid of it, relieve the amount of pressure that was causing her to choke. "Will this_kill_her...?"

"We're not sure. The tumor is two inches in diameter, which is putting a lot of much pressure on her brain, so there is always the possibility."

"Can she be treated—what can be done to get rid of it?"

"Well, I've already called a member of the UCLA Medical Center, they're specialists in this area, and they'll be sending someone over to evaluate the tumor, see if endoscopic surgery is an option since the tumor is large and in a hard to reach area. If surgery isn't an option after all, we'll begin radiation or chemotherapy."

"Thank you for doing that." Eve cleared her throat, wiping the tears away from her cheeks and trying to calm herself down. "It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, it wasn't a problem, Eve. Your mother will have to stay another night or two here so we can make sure she's healthy enough to leave. I'll keep you posted on how she is."

"Thanks so much, Carlisle, I appreciate it ."

He nodded and gave her a warm smile. "She's doing very well, Eve. Right now she's asleep due to some medications so she probably won't be up for a few hours. However, you're more than welcome to go inside and stay until visiting hours are over." With that, Doctor Cullen said goodbye to Eve and Jacob to go tend to other patients, and it was only the two of them once more.

Eve turned to the door and took the cold, silver handle in her grasp, pushing it down and moving forward slowly, opening the door. The walls and floor tile were pure white. The two velvety chairs on either side of the room were a dark blue color, and the curtains that were drawn over the large window were as well. The heart monitor beeped and it felt like it was echoing inside the room to Eve; it was like it was taunting her, making her feel like every time it made it's obnoxious sound it would hold itself there, and show Eve that her mother had flat lined. Eve's_own_heart began to beat a bit faster at this. Finally, Eve's eyes made contact with the bed. They slowly went up to see her mom, Darla, sleeping soundly underneath the sheets.

Her mom's dark brown hair was frizzy and wild, sprawled over the large white pillow that was behind her for support. Her skin was pale compared to her usual dark, sun-kissed skin, which was now marred with scrapes and purplish-green bruises. Eve wanted to see her mom's never-ending chocolate eyes that gave her comfort when she needed it the most. Her arms were stuck with IVs and tubes that were giving her the necessary nutrients she required to survive, and her wrist held the paper bracelet that carried her information.

Eve slowly made her way from the door frame towards the bedside, and sat down onto one of the chairs after pulling it up closer to Darla. Eve stared at her mom's unmoving hand for a few seconds and then slowly took it in her gentle grasp. As she held her mom's hand she felt a sense of wholeness, of completion, of_love_—something she hadn't felt since she left La Push for Beverly Hills. Guilt overcame Eve, and she felt awful for choosing_fame_over_family_, for choosing the_limelight_over_love_.

The words spilled out of her mouth just as fast as the tears flowed from her misty, dark brown eyes. "I'm so sorry, mom..." She sobbed, holding her mom's hand to her eyes. "I never should have left La Push."

Eve cried her heart out for a few minutes, letting herself get it all out so she wouldn't keep it all inside and make it worse. Eve had forgotten that Jacob was there with her until she felt his large hand begin to rub her back in circular motion, trying to soothe her.

His touch did exactly that.

And she needed more of it.

She needed to feel that relief that he gave her—that sense of_hope_that was somehow installed into her being.

Eve placed her mom's hand gently onto her own lap before she put herself into Jacob's lap, curling up next to him and letting him tell her it would all be alright. His soft tones did miracles for Eve's distressed mind, and she was in a haze soon enough, becoming drowsy and being put to sleep by Jacob's harmonious voice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Five**

Eve was finishing up putting her clothes away when Jacob's voice could be heard from below. "Evangeline, open the door!" He bellowed.

Eve got up from the floor and looked out her window to see Jacob staring right back up at her. "It's open!" She called back to him.

He grinned before running up the porch stairs, out of sight, and could be heard coming up the staircase inside. Eve quickly put the rest of her clothes away so he wouldn't see the mess, and dusted herself off. He soon stood in the doorway with the same grin on his lips.

"Hey, were you ready?"

Eve nodded her head, grabbing a jacket and slipping it on. "Now I am, yea. Oh, and it's_just_Eve, no 'Evangeline'." She walked over to him and turned the lights off.

"Got it,_just_Eve." He smiled as he guided her down the stairs and to the front door.

A gust of wind made its way into the house and the two of them turned towards the window Eve had broken to get inside the home.

Eve grumbled. "Crap I forgot about that." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Now the rain's going to come in."

"We could try to cover it up somehow," Jacob suggested.

She turned to him, flashing a small smile. "Yea, but with_what_?"

"Maybe we could use one of your huge suitcases." He teased.

Eve laughed, punching him as hard as she could in the shoulder. "Not funny." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Do you think plastic wrap will do a good job?"

"Only if we use the entire roll." Eve answered. "And even_then_I don't think it'll help much."

"Well, we have to try something." He shrugged his shoulders and made his way into the kitchen, Eve following him like a lost puppy.

Eve looked for the plastic wrap where it usually was, and was happy that her mom didn't like to reorganize things much. They found a roll of duck tape and Eve and Jacob walked outside with them to the window.

"Here, try putting it on the inside." Eve laughed, handing him half of the plastic and giving him some of the tape.

He nodded in understanding, taking the objects and running inside the house. Eve put a large piece of plastic wrap over the window and got a long piece of gray duck tape. The rain hit Eve hard as it went from a soft drizzle to total downpour, soaking her jacket. The rain made the tape soggy and unusable and Eve gave up trying to cover the window.

Something caught her eye, and her head twisted slowly to the right, towards a wall of trees and shrubbery. She could barely make out two small red dots in the darkness that the trees created, and a pale face soon arose. She could barely make out the blond hair that was sticking to his forehead. She was once again captured by his red eyes and she became frightened.

_Get away from here, Eve._

"Eve!" Jacob came bolting out from the house and his eyes were coated with worry. He had smelt the leech from inside the house, and as soon as he saw Eve's unreadable expression, he didn't waste any time.

Eve's eyes darted from the man to Jacob, and when they returned back to the woods, he was gone, making Eve much more alert and shaken up. Was what she saw just her imagination playing tricks on her due to lack of sleep?

It_had_to be. There was no way he could appear one second and be gone the next. Besides, his eyes were red..._red_...! No human could possibly have such dark, crimson eyes like he had.

"Stupid jet lag..." She murmured under her breath.

"Hey, um, I fixed it from the inside." Jacob said quickly. "C'mon, let's go to the hospital to see your mom."

Once her mom was mentioned, Eve quickly spun around and was guided to Jacob's car, which was a Rabbit. He helped her in and got into the car himself. He started up the engine and they were soon driving down the road.

"So where did you come from?" Jacob inquired.

"Well, here, but I went over to California to live with my dad for a while. It was supposed to be only for a summer, but... things changed."

"What things?"

"Me."

"I doubt that."

Eve glanced over at him curiously, before shaking her head and dismissing the matter. "So how does your dad know my mom?" Eve questioned.

"Well, from what I know, my parents were friends with your mom before they had me and before your mom had you." He explained. "I don't really know much about it, actually."

"How old are you anyways?"

"I'm eighteen-years-old. You?"

"Seventeen." She answered. "You're_old_." She joked, sticking out her tongue playfully.

She didn't know why, but she felt comfortable around Jacob. If this were anyone else, she'd be slightly more reserved, more cautious, however with him, it seemed to come naturally. This boy was causing her to be out of character... and she kind of enjoyed it.

It was different.

It was_real_.

"So... is your coming back permanent?"

"Um, probably not." She sighed, running a hand through her hair and beginning to fiddle with her thumbs, becoming fidgety. "It all depends on how my mom is. Not to mention that I have a job and I have to go places."

"Oh, I see," Jacob mused, stiffening up as he held onto the wheel with both hands.

He wished that she had said "yes", that she had looked over at him, flashed a smile with her perfect white teeth, her eyes glistening with happiness, and said she'd stay with_him_forever.

There were a lot of things that Jacob was wishing for concerning Eve, though he wasn't going to brood over it for any longer. If he did, his heart would break, shatter completely, and he knew that he would take out his feelings on her. He didn't want that.

They arrived sooner than expected and were entering the large sliding doors with haste, Eve letting Jacob lead her towards the receptionist. Eve was given a large white sticker that read "VISITOR" in capitalized, bold letters, while Jacob still had his on from the earlier visit. Jacob guided her down the hallway and stopped in front of a room that had the door closed.

"This is it." Jacob stated.

Eve's heart began pound in her chest cavity, it seemed like it would pop out at any second. She hadn't_seen_her mom in two years. She hadn't_talked_or_thought_about her in a year and a half.

"Are you alright, Eve?"

Eve remembered what was happening and stopped zoning out immediately when she felt Jacob's large hand consume her left shoulder. She looked up at him and gave him a small nod. Eve stared at the handle for a minute and began to reach for it.

"Hello Jacob, is there something I can help you with?"

They both turned to see one of the hospital's doctors standing there with a clipboard in his hand. He was pale, paler than chalk, with amber eyes that were like honey with warm and caring emotions in them. His blond hair was sleeked back and made him look neat and tidy along with his white coat that hung over his broad shoulders.

"Hello Carlisle," Jacob greeted, clearing his throat. "This is Eve Blair, Darla's daughter."

Realization swept over Carlisle's face, and he soon was smiling at Eve kindly. "Ah, Evangeline, it's nice to finally meet you. My name is Doctor Carlisle Cullen, and I'm taking care of Darla." He held out his hand and he shook Eve's warmly. His icy, cold touch burned Eve's skin, though she didn't let it show. "Would you like to know what happened to your mother?"

"Please, Carlise," She nodded eagerly.

"Your mother was involved in a car accident. She was driving home when she went off the road and hit a tree head on. We believe that she had blacked out and that's why the accident occurred."

"But why would she black out?—I mean, she's_always_been healthy." Eve told him, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence.

"We looked back at her records and noticed that, too, Eve." Carlisle said. "We ran some tests and a CT scan of the head found that she had a brain tumor. It's a Meningioma brain tumor, it's next to the Olfactory groove, right between the nose and brain. We've had a pathologist examine it, and we believe that it's a grade three, which means that it's cancerous and it is fast growing. Malignant Meningioma tumors are rare, counting for only one-percent of all Meningioma cases, however, it does happen."

"Will this..." Eve tried to swallow the lump in her throat, get rid of it, relieve the amount of pressure that was causing her to choke. "Will this_kill_her...?"

"We're not sure. The tumor is two inches in diameter, which is putting a lot of much pressure on her brain, so there is always the possibility."

"Can she be treated—what can be done to get rid of it?"

"Well, I've already called a member of the UCLA Medical Center, they're specialists in this area, and they'll be sending someone over to evaluate the tumor, see if endoscopic surgery is an option since the tumor is large and in a hard to reach area. If surgery isn't an option after all, we'll begin radiation or chemotherapy."

"Thank you for doing that." Eve cleared her throat, wiping the tears away from her cheeks and trying to calm herself down. "It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, it wasn't a problem, Eve. Your mother will have to stay another night or two here so we can make sure she's healthy enough to leave. I'll keep you posted on how she is."

"Thanks so much, Carlisle, I appreciate it ."

He nodded and gave her a warm smile. "She's doing very well, Eve. Right now she's asleep due to some medications so she probably won't be up for a few hours. However, you're more than welcome to go inside and stay until visiting hours are over." With that, Doctor Cullen said goodbye to Eve and Jacob to go tend to other patients, and it was only the two of them once more.

Eve turned to the door and took the cold, silver handle in her grasp, pushing it down and moving forward slowly, opening the door. The walls and floor tile were pure white. The two velvety chairs on either side of the room were a dark blue color, and the curtains that were drawn over the large window were as well. The heart monitor beeped and it felt like it was echoing inside the room to Eve; it was like it was taunting her, making her feel like every time it made it's obnoxious sound it would hold itself there, and show Eve that her mother had flat lined. Eve's_own_heart began to beat a bit faster at this. Finally, Eve's eyes made contact with the bed. They slowly went up to see her mom, Darla, sleeping soundly underneath the sheets.

Her mom's dark brown hair was frizzy and wild, sprawled over the large white pillow that was behind her for support. Her skin was pale compared to her usual dark, sun-kissed skin, which was now marred with scrapes and purplish-green bruises. Eve wanted to see her mom's never-ending chocolate eyes that gave her comfort when she needed it the most. Her arms were stuck with IVs and tubes that were giving her the necessary nutrients she required to survive, and her wrist held the paper bracelet that carried her information.

Eve slowly made her way from the door frame towards the bedside, and sat down onto one of the chairs after pulling it up closer to Darla. Eve stared at her mom's unmoving hand for a few seconds and then slowly took it in her gentle grasp. As she held her mom's hand she felt a sense of wholeness, of completion, of_love_—something she hadn't felt since she left La Push for Beverly Hills. Guilt overcame Eve, and she felt awful for choosing fame over family, for choosing the limelight over love.

The words spilled out of her mouth just as fast as the tears flowed from her misty, dark brown eyes. "I'm so sorry, mom..." She sobbed, holding her mom's hand to her eyes. "I never should have left La Push."

Eve cried her heart out for a few minutes, letting herself get it all out so she wouldn't keep it all inside and make it worse. Eve had forgotten that Jacob was there with her until she felt his large hand begin to rub her back in circular motion, trying to soothe her.

His touch did exactly that.

And she needed more of it.

She needed to feel that relief that he gave her—that sense of hope that was somehow installed into her being.

Eve placed her mom's hand gently onto her own lap before she put herself into Jacob's lap, curling up next to him and letting him tell her it would all be alright. His soft tones did miracles for Eve's distressed mind, and she was in a haze soon enough, becoming drowsy and being put to sleep by Jacob's harmonious voice.


	6. Chapter 6

**Six**

"Eve, you have to wake up." Jacob's voice whispered in her ear gently. "We have to leave. Visiting hours are going to end right now." His large hands caressed her back delicately, and she slowly began to come to, squirming around in his arms that held her on his lap.

"You sure...?" She mumbled tiredly into his chest.

"Positive." He chuckled, slowly sitting her up.

Eve yawned, beginning to rub her eyes and get used to the bright lighting. As she noticed that she was sitting upon his lap, she blushed with embarrassment, quickly getting up and off of him.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I don't know why I did that."

Jacob nodded, before giving her a kind smile. "Don't worry about it. It's understandable. You just needed someone to be there for you." He said. "There's no reason to apologize."

Eve smiled gratefully at Jacob. "Thanks." She turned to her mom before looking back at Jacob. "Would you mind if I have a few minutes with my mom?"

Jacob stood and dusted himself off. "Sure, I'll be outside waiting for you. Take your time." His large build then made its way out of the room, closing the door quietly.

Eve turned to her mom and moved a few strands of hair from her face. "I'll be back tomorrow, mom. I'm going to visit you every day from now on and when you get out of here I'm staying by your side. You're not going to be able to get rid of me." Eve smiled, taking her mom's hand into hers and rubbing the backside of it with her thumb. "We'll be a family again. A better one. One that doesn't forget each other. I promise."

Eve leaned down and kissed her mom's cheek, putting Darla's hand back onto her lap. Eve sighed, mumbling a goodbye and walking away towards the door. She walked out and saw Jacob standing on the opposite side of the hall, waiting patiently for her to come out.

He gave her a reassuring smile and she returned a small one just to hide how broken she was feeling. For one reason or another, it didn't work on Jacob, and his grin faltered. Jacob walked over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she went into his chest. A few tears escaped her eyes and she wiped them away as soon as they came out.

The two of them walked out of the hospital and to the parking garage, Jacob's arm still wrapped securely around her shoulders. Eve felt protected, safe, and most of all, cared for. It was like Jacob was there simply for her, to help her, to soothe her, to take care of her needs. Jacob was the one thing that was currently right in her life.

They reached his Rabbit and the two of them got in, Jacob starting up the engine and Eve buckling herself in.

Eve hadn't really noticed till now, most likely because Jacob's body was warm and he was holding her close to him most of the time, but she was freezing. Her jacket was like ice because she stood out in the rain for those few minutes when she was trying to fix the window with plastic wrap. Eve rolled her eyes, not believing she had _actually _tried to fix a window with_plastic wrap_.

_Never again, that's for sure. _She told herself.

Subconsciously, Eve began to shiver, and her skin got goosebumps.

"Are you alright, Eve?" She turned towards Jacob and nodded, her teeth beginning to chatter, which she tried to stop, although it was really no use. Jacob put a hand onto her jacket sleeve, the warmth from his palm leaked through the fabric and onto her skin like a heating patch, and she felt much better. "Jeez, Eve, you're freezing! Take it off."

"What?" She looked at him dumbfounded—perhaps the rain wasn't_only_affecting her skin, but her mind as well...

"Take your jacket off." He clarified, and looked in the back of the car, soon bringing out a black leather jacket. "Then put this on."

Eve did as she was told, trading her wet jacket for his dry one, and soon put that on, feeling toasty inside and out like Jacob made her when he touched her. Eve thanked him and he smiled at her, telling her it wasn't anything. Jacob began to back out and drive towards La Push, and he knew he had to ask her.

"Eve, do you want to spend the night at my house, tonight?"

"_Excuse_ me?" Her eyes stared at him, wide and confused.

"Do you want to spend the night at my house?" He repeated. "I mean, I saw that guy standing outside in the woods and you looked really freaked out by him. He's bad news."

"You know him?"

"No, but... don't you just get that _feeling_?" Jacob quickly recovered.

"Yea, I guess you're right." Eve mumbled. "But I can't, I don't want to be a bother."

"You won't be, Eve. It's fine. My dad and I would be more than happy to have you over." He stated. "Besides, you can have my sisters' old room."

"You have a sister?" Eve inquired.

"Two, Rebecca and Rachel. Rebecca lives in Hawaii with her husband, and Rachel is living with my friend, Paul, they're together." He explained. "See? We have space for you."

Eve nodded and finally gave in, agreeing to Jacob's suggestion after his pleading for a few minutes. Jacob pulled up to Eve's house and the two of them got out, entering the house with haste to get away from the rain.

Jacob stayed downstairs and waited for Eve to gather her things. He could hear every step she took up the stairs and down the hallway. Jacob smiled as he thought about how he had held Eve earlier at the hospital, so secure and lovingly. He didn't want to let her go when the nurse had told him that the visiting hours would be over. However, waking her up and seeing those endless honey eyes she possessed were worth it.

Eve cried out with a shriek of horror, and Jacob's muscles tensed, his body shook with fear and anger, and his mind went haywire. His instincts kicked in not a second later, and he went shooting up the stairs, skipping three at a time and made it by her side in less than five seconds.

Eve's eyes were wide, and she stared at the room in shock. Jacob looked inside to see what was going on. Her room was trashed. The dressers were toppled over one another, the bedding was ripped to shreds, and the stench of leech was intoxicating.

Why hadn't Jacob noticed before? Had his daydreaming of Eve really distracted him so much...?

"C'mon Eve, let's get your things and get out of here." Jacob ordered firmly, walking inside the room that made him want to suffocate himself.

Jacob picked up the dressers and set the upright, making Eve slightly amazed by his strength. Eve snapped out of it and grabbed a small suitcase, filling it up with clothes for a few days along with some valuables she didn't want to leave behind so they wouldn't be stolen in case he came back. She zipped it shut and then nodded at Jacob who took her suitcase and began to lead he down the stairs and back out the door.

He loaded the suitcase into the back of the car and got into the driver's seat as Eve got into the passenger side. The ride to Jacob's home was silent for the most part. Eve was staring down at her thumbs with her mind blank in slight shock that someone had actually came into her house.

Jacob would take curious glances over at her and he didn't like her silence. He got a firm grip on the wheel and put his right arm over her shoulders and pulled her into his body protectively, as to say that he was there, and he would listen.

Eve snuggled into his safe embrace and relaxed, once again feeling secure. She loved how easily he took every bad feeling that she had away. It was truly something—especially since he was new to her life. It'd take_months_for someone new in Eve's life to make her feel like this. Not Jacob, though. No, Jacob... he was_special_. He was something _else_. He was _different_.

And Eve loved that.

Jacob killed the engine after pulling up towards a small and humble red home. The layout of the home looked familiar to her own, it comforted her for some odd reason, possibly because she knew that Jacob would be right there with her.

Eve and Jacob both got out of the car, getting her suitcase and walking towards the door. Jacob walked on in and Eve followed him, closing the door after herself. He led her down the hallway and opened a door, flipping the light switch up and putting her suitcase beside the bed.

"Um, you can go ahead and put your things away inside the dresser if you want. Just make yourself at home, Eve." He instructed. "I'm going to go and see what happened to my dad. I'll be right back."

"Alright, take your time."

He flashed her a smile and then vanished down the hallway. Eve then felt all the security leave along with Jacob, making her feel on edge, somewhat scared of her surroundings.

She looked around the room and took it in. The walls were painted white, and the carpet flooring was white as well. Pink curtains with purple butterflies scattered on them hung over the window that was blurry and smudged, the backyard barely visible through it. In the middle of the small room was the bed. It was nice sized; there would be enough space for Eve to sprawl out on top of it. The idea seemed like a good one at the moment, with the fluffed pink pillows and pink comforters that were laid upon it.

Eve decided against it, however, and decided to put her few clothes away into the white dresser and try to "make herself at home" like Jacob had so kindly suggested. When she finished, she placed her empty luggage to the side of the furniture and sat down on the bed, the springs moved around with difficulty, softly squealing as they did so.

Eve couldn't remember a time that she had felt so apprehensive. It was killing her. Without Jacob, it was all slowly falling apart. She could hear his heavy footsteps make their way slowly down the hallway, and she felt the safety he carried around with him slowly wash over her.

_This boy is making me bipolar._ She concluded.

"My dad went over to a friend's house for dinner, he suggested that we go, too." Jacob said.

Eve's stomach plummeted to her feet in anxiety. "We... we have to?" She questioned. After the words escaped her lips, she felt guilty for being rude. They were giving her refuge from not only the rain, but from the man who most likely was the person to enter her room, and she was complaining about going out to eat with their friends...? That wasn't the way Darla raised her to be. "I'm sorry, when do we leave?" She corrected herself quickly.

"If you don't want to go, we don't have to, Eve. We can make something here."

"No, no, I want to go." Eve replied. "When do we leave?"

"Right now, I guess." Jacob smiled and extended his hand out and helped Eve to her feet.

The two of them walked out of the home, Jacob locking the white front door with his key and racing towards the car. Jacob drove down the street and Eve stared out the window, looking at the trees that were being pelted with large drops of water.

Within a few minutes, they arrived at a sort of log cabin home. A few other cars were parked in the front and he pulled up beside one of them, killing the engine and looking over at Eve.

"This is just a get together of family and friends. There's no need to be nervous or anything. I promise you that you'll feel welcomed."

Eve smiled and nodded in understanding. "Alright, thanks for the heads up."

They both got off of the car and quickly ran towards the porch for shelter, and Jacob walked inside, taking Eve's hand and leading her inside the house.

Eve saw a grand total of fourteen people before her and the fact that Jacob was there wasn't much of anything anymore. She felt as if it was only her in the room now.

Jacob cleared his throat and smiled towards everyone who was now looking their way, their gaze lingering upon their hands that were grasping onto one another. Eve felt her cheeks heat up considerably and she casually dropped his hand and retracted her arm into her body, crossing her arms over her chest to try and give herself some sense of security that Jacob no longer could.

"Guys, this is Eve Blair, she's Darla's daughter." Jacob introduced, turning towards Eve who was standing awkwardly by the front door. "Eve, this is my dad Billy, Sue Clearwater, Seth, Leah, Embry, Quil, Brady, Collin, Jared, Kim, Paul, Rachel, Sam, and his fiancé, Emily."

"Hi," Eve's quiet voice was barely heard in the room and they all eyed her curiously. As she felt their eyes upon her, she blushed lightly and caused the woman named Emily to smile. Eve noticed the large scars that marred her tanned skin and she made a mental note to not stare at her for long so she wouldn't offend her.

Emily walked over to her slowly and put her hands onto her shoulders gently, soon pulling her into a welcoming hug. "It's nice to meet you, Eve, any friend of Jacob's is a friend of ours." She then pulled away, still smiling warmly, and looked over at the boy quickly and then back at Eve. "Don't worry about the boys, just ignore them, they're not good with welcomes."

"Are not!" One of them yelled, and then approached the two of them. "I'm Seth."

"Nice to meet you," Eve replied lamely, not sure how else to reply to that.

A man in a wheelchair rolled up to Eve and smiled. "Hello, I'm Billy Black, just call me Billy, though." He smiled warmly and Eve felt a bit more relaxed around him. "I'm a friend of your mother's, and I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for her." Eve's mood fell slightly, and she told herself to not let it get to her. "If I know Darla though, she'll pull through. She's strong."

"Thanks Billy," Eve replied, smiling sadly down at him. "It means a lot to me."

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's sit down to eat." The woman named Sue declared, clapping her hands together.

The boys grinned hugely and began to shout. Eve was dumbfounded. She knew that boys loved food, but actually _cheering_ over being able to eat..? That was certainly out of the ordinary in her eyes. The last girl, Leah, simply glared at them and their "moronic behavior" as she called it. Leah turned towards Eve and growled at her, causing Eve to take a few small steps back in surprise.

"Don't mind her," Jacob whispered into her ear, the vibrations and warmth on her earlobe sending small shivers throughout her entire body. "She's a bitch to everyone. Just ignore her and she'll leave you alone."

"O-okay," Eve stammered.

Jacob casually wrapped one arm around Eve's small and petite waist, pulling her towards himself. He guided her into another room and sat her down at an empty chair, scooting her in like a gentleman, and bringing a chair up right next to Eve to sit beside her.

Food was placed onto the table and greedy tanned hands made a mad dash for the spoons and tongs to pick up pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes, and ribs; some hands simply grabbing them without a utensil. As soon as most of the chaos had passed, Eve served herself a bit of everything, putting it onto her plate.

It was quiet, mostly because everyone was too busy and concentrated on eating. Eve liked it. It meant she didn't have to talk to anyone. She could keep quiet and not worry about sounding stupid like she believed she did.

"So Eve," Eve's stomach dropped, but she looked up to see who called her. Jacob's deep, brown eyes captured her eyes and he continued talking. "You said you had a job, what is it?"

"Oh, you have a job, Eve?" Billy looked curiously at her from across the table.

"Yea," Eve nodded shyly. "I model."

"_Evangeline_!" Everyone's head snapped up and towards Emily who was now blushing lightly with slight embarrassment. "Sorry." She apologized quietly, standing up and walking into the living room, returning with magazine and plopping it down in front of Eve and Jacob, everyone staring at it curiously.

It was quiet as everyone stared. It was a magazine Eve had shot for last year in December. It was calledPrestige.

"Damn, girl's got curves." Paul muttered, earning a smack from Rachel. "But yours are much better."

Eve blushed madly and sunk into her chair. Jacob growled and snatched the magazine from the top of the table, putting it onto his lap and going through the pages until he came to the section where there were nothing but pictures of Eve modeling.

"I thought I recognized you from somewhere." Emily began. "I bought the magazine and read the articles. When Jacob brought you here I thought of it, but he didn't say your full name so it didn't click right away. Then when you said you modeled, well, I put two and two together."

"Wow, these are good..." He mumbled.

"Thank you."

The rest of dinner was spent eating and talking about Eve's job as a model, which made her become slightly uncomfortable.

"Man, I bet all the guys are chasing you." Embry commented. "Has someone gone as far as breaking into your house?" Eve knew that it was posed as a joke, however it reminded her of how the man from earlier had broken into her room and trashed it. Eve reached for the mashed potatoes and put two more drum sticks onto her plate. "_And_ she has an _appetite_?"

Eve was about to put her fork into her mouth and stopped, putting it back onto her plate. She tuned out for the rest of the night, not believing that she had eaten so much. She had served herself more than once, something that was a definite "**No**" for keeping a perfect model figure.

Billy was taken home by Sue Clearwater after eating and Jacob and Eve were driving to his home at around midnight; the night was black and mysterious, giving Eve an alert feeling as she stared out the window. They pulled up to the front of the house and killed the engine. The two of them got off the car and walked inside, away from the chill of the wind that was softly brushing up against them.

They separated, going into their own rooms to change, and Jacob laid down in his boxers on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a smile. Being with Eve set something off inside of him. When he saw that magazine, all those pictures of her in poses, and the way her eyes seemed to glow when she took them, it gave him joy. Seeing her happy gave him a purpose. It made him want to make her happy, and keep her happy.

He remembered the first time that he had set eyes upon her. She was different appearance wise, however the feeling he got when he stared into her gorgeous honey eyes was the same. Though he felt more connected to her now, perhaps their time apart had something to do with it, perhaps it made him realize that life was much more enjoyable _with_ her than without her, making him never want to leave her side again.

He looked at the closed door and got up, opening it and walking down the hallway to her room. He was going to knock when she heard that she was in the middle of a conversation.

"Jesse, it's... it's _complicated_. I don't really want to get into it." She sighed, pausing for a few seconds. "We both know that you and I aren't into each other like we used to be. We _know_ why you're still with me." There was silence for a few seconds. "Jesse, you say you love me, but you don't mean it, we both know it." Jacob's heart was pounding inside his chest like a wrecking ball. "It's just a small town, Jesse. You wouldn't like it. There's no paparazzi." Eve sighed shakily and Jacob could hear the springs in the bed move around. "_Goodbye_, Jesse."

Jacob backed away from the door and retreated back into his room, getting into his bed and staring at the ceiling. His face was blank and he wasn't sure if his heart was breaking or beating at all, either way, it was killing him inside.

Eve hung up the phone and rubbed her temples. Her stomach growled and she groaned. She had over eaten, and she was freaking out. She'd gain weight, she'd get _fat_, and she'd be made fun of again.

Evangeline Blair was _not_ going to be going back on that road anytime soon.

She walked out of her room and down the hallway, walking into the bathroom and turning the faucets on, bending over the toilet. She calmed her rattling nerves and then put her index finger into the back of her throat.

It had been months since she had done it, but... 

She was back throwing up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Seven**

Eve's eyes burst open and she took a deep breath of the cool air that surrounded her. She exhaled bit by bit and tried to calm her nerves.

She had a nightmare that she hadn't had in a while. It was a dream about Eve becoming unlikeable again, becoming shunned from society again... becoming _fat _again.

Eve sat up in her temporary bed and ran a hand through her hair, moving the strands out of her face. Looking over at the window, she saw the sun slowly lifting itself above the wall of trees, the sky a multitude of colors going from a dark blue, to purple, pink, and finally to a calming orange.

Eve looked down at her stomach and thought she saw a bit of pudginess that _shouldn't _have been there. She mentally cursed herself for eating so much last night at dinner.

What was she _thinking_...?!

If she let herself go... there was no telling what would happen. She could lose her job or get heavy again. Both of those options were bad, though the second one seemed to worry Eve the most.

Eve looked over at the Hello Kitty alarm clock that sat upon the nightstand and saw it was going to become six o'clock in the morning exactly, and she scooted herself off the bed and towards the dresser to get some fresh clothes. She grabbed some jeans and a regular t-shirt before walking out of her room and into the bathroom for a shower.

As Eve cleansed herself, she could only keep her eyes on her stomach. She ran a hand up and down to feel for a bump that might have grown overnight as she slept. When Eve didn't feel anything, she felt a bit more confident, however she poked herself and saw that her finger went a bit farther than usual in and her heart began to race with panic.

Eve _had _over eaten.

She was headed towards _obesity_ again, and she was going to lose _everything_.

Eve ended the shower after rinsing the suds off of her body, and got dressed, praying to God that her pants and shirt would fit. Thankfully, they did, and Eve walked out of the bathroom.

Eve had thought about throwing up before she left, but decided against it thinking that Billy and Jacob could be waking up at any moment. She didn't want to make them worry or think differently of her. Instead, she came to the conclusion that throwing up when they both went to sleep would be a wiser idea.

Eve placed her dirty clothes into her suitcase and saw something move from outside the window. She saw a shirtless Jacob jogging from the woods into the house and she began to wonder what he could've been doing out there, especially since it was only six-thirty in the morning, let alone why he was shirtless. Although, she couldn't complain, seeing him shirtless was... well, _hot_.

Eve shook her head. She couldn't believe those kinds of thoughts were going through her head. She had only met Jacob yesterday and here she was drooling over his body figure...

She heard his heavy footsteps make their way down the hallway and into the bathroom, the water running soon after.

_I should make them breakfast._ Eve concluded. _I should at least try to help out since they're letting me stay here._

Eve crept out of the room and down the hallway towards the kitchen. She got out the necessary ingredients from the fridge and put a large pan onto the stove, heating it up with a twist of the knob. Eve decided to make omelets for Jacob and Billy, and so she began to whisk the eggs in a bowl.

A few minutes passed before Billy wheeled himself into the kitchen, nose high in the air as he steered himself towards the table. "Good morning, Eve," he greeted. "Smells good in here, what are you making?"

"Morning Billy, I'm making you and Jacob some omelets for breakfast." Eve replied with a small smile, flipping over the omelet to reveal one side as a nice, golden-brown color.

"That's very nice of you, thank you." He smiled. "None for yourself, though?"

"I had one before you came in." Eve lied smoothly. Eve grabbed a plate from the shelf and put the meal onto it, placing it in front of Billy with a fork. "Anything you want to drink?"

"Water would be fine, thanks."

Eve grabbed a clear glass and filled it to the near brim with water, giving it back to Billy who thanked her. Eve then returned to the stove where she began to make Jacob's omelet.

"Damn, what smells good?" Jacob walked next to Eve and looked over her shoulders. "Ooh, can you make me one?"

"This one _is _for you." She responded. "Is there anything else you want on it?"

"Nah, this is good, thanks."

A few minutes later, a car honked twice from the front yard. "And that'll be Charlie." Billy sighed, rolling himself away from the table. "I'll see you both later, Charlie and I are going fishing. And thanks for the breakfast, Eve, it was delicious."

"You're welcome, Billy."

Jacob helped his dad out of the house and came back in a few moments later. Eve got a plate and served Jacob, and handing him his desired drink of orange juice. Eve cleaned up the counter and began to wash Billy's cup, plate and fork, putting them into the cabinets after drying them off with a dish towel. She took a seat at the table across from Jacob and got out her cell phone, using the internet to search for a place to rent a car.

"This is _amazing_." Jacob declared after washing the food that was in his mouth down with OJ. "Really. You could give Emily a run for her money."

Eve gave him a flattered smile. "Thanks, I think I get it from my mom, but I still have a long way to go before I'm even half as good as her. She's _incredible_ with food." She stated, soon looking back down at her phone.

"What are you doing on your phone?" Jacob inquired.

"Looking for a place to rent a car at. I can't have you driving me everywhere."

Jacob looked hurt, he wondered why she had come to such a conclusion. "Why not?"

She looked back up at him and smiled weakly. "I don't want to waste your time, I mean, you probably have a lot of things to do and being cooped up in a hospital for hours isn't exactly... exciting." She explained. "Plus I might have to go driving places and that would mean you'd waste a lot of gas. I can't have you doing all this for me. It's way too much to ask for."

"It's fine, Eve, really. I like driving you places."

"I'd still feel better with a car of my own."

Jacob sighed out an "Alright" and continued eating, his mood a bit down because of Eve's desire for her own form or transportation. He knew that she didn't mean anything by it, however it still hurt him.

After he finished eating, Eve got his plate and began to wash it, Jacob drying it and putting it onto the shelf afterwards.

"You want to go to the hospital right now?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, please. Will _you _take me?" She replied, putting emphasis on the 'you' to try and make him feel better for their earlier debate.

He could only smile and grab his keys. "Anytime."

They both walked out of the house and got into his Rabbit, soon traveling down the road towards Forks General Hospital. As they were passing by Eve's home, they saw a girl with a head of blond hair that Eve could never mistake.

"Can you pull over?" She asked. Jacob nodded and did so. Eve jumped out of the car and crossed the street hurriedly. "Dylan?" She called.

The blond spun around, smiling when she saw Eve. "Eve!" She cried. "I've missed you so much!"

The two of them met each other halfway and engulfed one another with a hug. Jacob got out of the car and leaned on it, watching the reunion with interest.

"What are you doing here?" Eve asked, the smile never leaving her lips.

Dylan pulled away from Eve and smiled. "Well, I heard about what dad did and I got really pissed off at him. I mean, what a _dickhead_. Anyways, so when he wasn't in his office, I looked around and found this address. It said 'Darla and Eve' so I just packed my things and had a road trip up here." She explained. "And by the way, I'm _so _not having a road trip back. Those Gas Station toilets...? Absolute _horror_." She shuddered dramatically and Eve chuckled at Dylan.

"Thanks so much for coming up here, Dyl," Eve sighed, recapturing her sister in a hug. "It really means a lot to know you care."

"Of _course _I care," She scoffed, and pulled away from the hug. "You're my baby sister, I can't let anything happen to you."

"You're _only _older by a month, mind you." Eve mumbled.

Dylan rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean anything to me." She smiled.

"C'mon, I want you to meet someone," Eve began, and walked with her in Jacob's direction.

"Oh, I got this, Eve, don't worry." Dylan said, and walked faster over to Jacob. "**You**!" She shouted, pointing her finger at him accusingly. "I want your name, blood type, social security number, and what you intend to do _with _and_to_my sister!"

"Dylan, what are you _doing_?" Eve hissed at her, a mild blush making it's way onto her cheeks.

"Don't worry Eve, saw this on a T.V. show once." Dylan grinned. "It'll make him want you even more." She winked, acting like Jacob wasn't even there, and then turned to face the boy. "Well? Get on with it."

Jacob went to open his mouth and Eve stopped him. "You don't need to say anything Jacob, it's fine."

"Eve, your chances just went to great to none, what are you doing?" Dylan questioned. "Okay, maybe if I use another line, then we can reel him back in...!"

"No!" Eve shouted, making Dylan jump. "No more lines..._please_."

"Fine, no more lines, but you didn't have to shout you know."

Eve turned around to face Jacob and gave him a smile. "Jacob, this is Dylan Saunders, my stepsister. Dylan, this is Jacob Black, a really _great _new friend of mine."

Dylan eyed him over a few times before giving a quick nod. "Nice to meet you, just make sure that you don't harm my sister in any way and we'll be fine. I _can _be a bitch and this bitch has a very_sharp_set of claws." She held up her hands that looked like they had just been manicured and Dylan smiled. "I've got my eye on you... bud."

Eve didn't even want to look up at Jacob's facial expression, and so she covered her eyes with her hand, however, she couldn't control the smile that was on her lips. Dylan was definitely something else. Finally she removed her hand to see Jacob looking like he wanted to bust out laughing, and Dylan looking her French tip nails over for any imperfections.

"Dylan, where's the car, and which one did you bring?" Eve questioned, trying to change the subject.

Dylan looked up from her fingers and pointed across the street. "The Yukon." She answered.

Eve turned around to see the blackGMC Yukon Denali Hybridsitting parked next to the house. She didn't know how she didn't see it before with it's large build.

"I needed the room for my bags." Dylan stated.

Eve saw Jacob's eye twitch and she held back her laughter. He didn't know how big of a diva Dylan could be...

Jacob cleared his throat. "So what did you want to do now, Eve? Did you still want to go to the hospital or did you want to spend some time with Dylan?"

Eve looked back at Jacob. "Both." She answered. "Dylan, you're coming with Jacob and I to the hospital to see my mom."

Dylan nodded. "I think we should take the Yukon." She stated, turning to face Jacob. "No offense, but I'd rather travel in something more..._modern_. Just saying." With that, Dylan walked towards the car and got into the back seat of the GMC.

"Sorry about Dylan, she doesn't mean anything by it." Eve apologized on behalf of her sister. "She's just... a _really _big diva."

"I kinda figured that," He chuckled. "It's fine... I guess. You'll have to make up for it later though." He winked.

"Me? Why _me_?"

"Just because." He answered.

Eve rolled her eyes, biting down on her tongue to hide the large smile that so desperately wanted to burst out. "Fine," she sighed. "Here, you can drive. I'm more of a compact car kinda person."

He took the keys into his grasp and they both walked over to the car, getting in and soon getting back on the road towards Forks General. They arrived within a good five minutes or so and headed inside the large building.

They were handed passes and the three of them walked down the familiar hallway towards Darla's room.

"Eve, Jacob."

They both turned to find Doctor Cullen rushing towards them. "I was just about to phone you right now." He smiled. "The member from the UCLA Medical Center just arrived right now as well and he'll be examining your mother's tumor today. However, they'll be needing to run a few extra tests for confirmation so I'm afraid that your mother will be unavailable today for visitors. I'm sorry."

Eve was happy, but also saddened by the news. She had been really looking forward to seeing her mom again since she had fallen asleep yesterday during her visit. Eve knew that this was for the best though, and so she nodded and smiled. "Alright, thank you so much for calling them again, Doctor Cullen. If you can, please let my mom know that I wanted to see her today."

He nodded. "I most certainly will, Eve."

"Can we visit tomorrow?"

"If all goes as planned today, then yes. If not, I'll make sure to call you."

"Thanks again, Doctor Cullen."

He simply nodded, saying a quick goodbye seeing as the intercom went off paging him for an emergency. The three of them exited the hospital and got back into the car, heading back towards La Push.

Eve stared out her window and noticed that small beams of light were making their way through the white puffy clouds in the sky. It was a much better improvement than yesterday's gloomy atmosphere.

"So what now?" Jacob inquired.

Eve thought for a moment, and she had an idea. "Do you have anything to do today?" She asked.

Jacob shook his head. "Nope, nothing."

"Would you... maybe, wanna help me clean up my house?" She asked quietly. "It's a mess; the paint's chipping, the grass is wild, and the plastic wrap in that window won't survive another storm." She looked over at him and flashed a smile. "Would you please be my handyman?"

Jacob grinned. "I'll call Embry over to help." He stated, getting out his phone with one hand while using his other to steer. The phone call seemed to be a success when Jacob told him Eve's home address.

They arrived at the house in less than ten minutes and saw another tanned boy sitting upon the front porch, playing with his hands, looking bored. He was shirtless, exposing his few abs, and wore some denim shorts. He was almost like Jacob in a way, except his cropped black hair was shorter and his eyes seemed more tame and lonely than Jacob's that were full of life and purpose.

"Hey Embry!" Jacob called.

The boy looked up and smiled, walking over to greet him. "Hey Jake, what took so long?"

"Nothing, you just got here early." He retorted. "Anyways, you remember Eve from last night, right?"

"Yea, nice to see you again, Eve." He smiled. "Sorry I wasn't talkative to you last night, I was just tired. I had a long day."

"It's fine, don't worry about it, so did I." She spoke softly, dismissing the matter.

A few leaves crunched from behind and they all turned to see Dylan finally getting out from the car and approaching the three of them. Her dazzling green eyes that contained specs of hazel looked up at Embry, and their eyes connected. A sort of new energy erupted around them all, but mostly Dylan and Embry. Dylan couldn't believe her eyes, neither could Embry. They were both in awe of each other.

Eve looked at the both of them, Dylan was biting her lip, almost in a teasing manner, but Eve knew her enough to tell that Dylan was crushing on Embry..._hard_. That was rare for Dylan. She wasn't the one to fall for people, it was usually the other way around. Eve's eyes went to Embry and saw that his eyes were wide with shock and admiration, and he was licking his lips hungrily.

"Um... Embry, this is Dylan, my older stepsister." She introduced. "Dylan, this is Embry."

"Hi, nice to..." They both began, but paused once they noticed they said it in unison. "Sorry."

Eve thought it was cute how they were both fumbling over their words for the next few seconds. She couldn't believe that Dylan was blushing madly with embarrassment.

"So what were we going to do?" Dylan turned to Eve, immediately changing the subject.

"Well, um, the paint needs a new coat. The grass needs to be mowed. The window needs to be fixed." Eve answered. "We'll just fix it all as we go along, I guess."

"Cool, do you want to go get the paint right now?" Jacob turned to Eve.

"Yea, sounds good, maybe we could get a few other things as well." She nodded. "Embry, Dylan, why don't you both stay here?" Eve suggested. "The lawn mower is in the shed out back and you could water the plants."

"Alright, but I need to change into some more... outdoorsy clothes." Dylan said. "Help me get my things?"

Eve nodded and the two of them went to the back of the car to fetch her luggage. Embry walked before them and opened the back door, getting out most of it in one go and putting it onto the floor. He grabbed at least four bags before walking into the house with them, flashing Dylan a cute smile.

"_Someone's_got the hots for you." Eve commented.

"Do you really think so?" Dylan questioned immediately, her words coming out a bit jumbled together. "God... he's so cute. Alright, so I was thinking denim shorts, a white, slim-fit tank, and UGG boots. What do you think?"

"Sounds nice. The bathroom is the first door on the right in the hallway." Eve said.

Dylan grinned from ear to ear before grabbing the last two of her bags and running inside to change into her new outfit, excited to show off her figure to Embry to "reel him in" as she always put it.

"You ready to go?" Jacob asked.

"Yup, as I'll ever be." Eve nodded before getting into the passenger seat.

The two of them drove down to the local market and bought a few gallons of yellow paint along with a few rollers and brushes. Eve knew that her mother always wanted a yellow house, however, when they had bought it, it was painted a light blue. With no man around the house, they figured that they didn't need to paint it yellow. Eve wanted to do everything she could to make her mom happy again.

Eve and Jacob were passing the wood when she noticed white planks. Eve walked over and put her dainty fingers onto the wood, feeling the smooth texture of it.

"Thinking of a white picket fence...?" Jacob's hot breath tickled at her neck as he whispered to her softly.

"Maybe," She whispered shakily, trying to regain her lost composure that he stole. "Mom always wanted one, but I don't think we'd be able to make one."

"Hey, we've got time, and you've got Embry and me to do it for you. We're strong men."

"More like boys." Eve teased, letting a soft laugh escape her lips.

"Care to say that to my face?"

"No, I know you can hear me."

Eve and Jacob began to load the planks onto their large cart. Jacob grabbed the last wooden plank and, when she wasn't looking, smacked Eve with it on her bum. She jumped and gasped in surprise and playfully glared at Jacob.

"That was for calling me a 'boy'."

They got to the register and got everything scanned. The total came out to a little below one thousand and Jacob was shocked to see Eve putting in her credit card and entering her pin number. She gave her signature and they were off towards the car.

"I can't believe you paid for all this."

"Well... being a model really does pay." Eve shrugged. "Besides, I can't wait to see the look on my mom's face when she sees the house. It'll be worth it."

Jacob and Eve were glad to have gone in the Yukon because it fit all their items perfectly. The drive back was a quick one and it was spent talking about what they would do first. It was agreed that painting the house would be the first on their To Do List.

Dylan was watering the plants in the pots while watching a now sweaty Embry go around the yard with the roaring lawn mower. Embry looked over at Dylan and smiled, making Dylan blush lightly.

From inside the car, Jacob and Eve looked at each other and laughed at their love-struck ways. Eve found it cute, while Jacob hoped that he didn't act that dumb around Eve.

The two of them got off the car and called over Embry and Dylan to help them unload everything. The boys grabbed the wood while the girls grabbed the paint and brushes.

"Eve, this fence is going to take a while so I was thinking that maybe Embry and I could start on it while you and Dylan paint the house." Jacob suggested.

"Yea, that sounds great, Jacob." Eve nodded with a smile.

"Cool, I'm going to drive home quickly to grab a few tools." He said. "And Eve, it's _just _Jake."

Eve laughed. "Okay," Jacob turned around towards the Yukon and Eve grabbed his wrist urgently. "Jacob..." He stared her down with a smile and she was quick to correct herself. "_Jake_, just... thank you so much for doing this." Her body moved on it's own as she wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him. He was eager to hug her back and he held her close to his body that couldn't seem to get enough of her. "You don't know how much it means to me."

"It's alright, Eve. I'm always going to be here to help you. Remember that." He spoke sincerely.

"Thank you."

She pulled away and watched both him and Embry get into the car and drive towards his house.

"You better get your butt into that bathroom and change into something sexier before he gets back so you can show your body off, Evangeline!" Dylan shouted as she began to open the bags of paint brushes and rollers.

Eve walked inside the house and upstairs into her room to change, however, not for the reason Dylan had made. She needed to change so she didn't get paint onto her good clothes, she needed to wear something that she didn't mind getting dirty in, not to mention something that wouldn't prevent her movement as much. Doing outdoor work in tight and restricting clothes isn't exactly the easiest thing to do.

She ended up changing into denim shorts like Dylan, but with an old band tee that she had before she moved to Beverly Hills. It was extremely baggy on her now petite body, but she didn't mind it, it made her aware of how much weight she had lost, she was proud to wear it even. It was like one of those weight loss commercials where they hold up their old pair of jeans that were now too big for them.

Eve slipped on some old sneakers that she hardly wore anymore and walked back out to see Jacob and Embry pulling up in front of the house. Jacob honked the horn at her and Eve blushed lightly, walking over to Dylan who now had opened the first gallon of paint.

Jacob and Embry unloaded everything from the back of the SUV and Jacob walked over to her. "Are... you wearing shorts underneath?" he asked.

Eve blushed madly at his question and noticed that the baggy shirt was covering up her shorts, making it look as if she wasn't wearing any. "Yes." She answered quickly, picking the shirt up a bit to reveal the denim fabric.

"Oh," Jacob began to blush as well. "It... it didn't look like that from far away." He laughed awkwardly.

"Yea, I realize that now." She whispered, looking at anything but Jacob's curious gaze.

They walked away from each other stiffly without another word and went towards their work area.

Eve grabbed a roller and added an extension to it so she would be able to reach the top of the house. Dylan was using a paint brush to get the edges and more detailed parts of the house.

A few hours had passed and Eve and Dylan had covered half of the house. Jacob and Embry had managed to get a few of the planks into the ground and it was starting to look like a fence. It was around two in the afternoon and the sun was beating down upon the four of them.

Eve wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead and turned to Dylan.

"Help me out with something inside." She ordered.

Dylan gladly put down the brush and wiped her forehead clean before walking inside the house along with Eve. Eve headed into the kitchen and brought out a pitcher from one of the cabinets. She filled it with water and Dylan put some ice cubes into it from the fridge. Eve rummaged throughout the pantry and found what she was looking for. She grabbed a few packets of Kool-Aid and added them to the water, Dylan mixing it in with a spoon.

"Pour a few glasses, I'll go and get the guys." Eve said.

Eve walked down the hallway and stood out on the porch, watching Jacob and Embry cut up the wood and assemble it. "Embry, Jake, come on inside." She called with a smile.

They looked at each other before placing the tools back onto the ground and walking towards her. Embry walked right on in while Jacob smiled at her.

"What's up?"

"Break time." Eve answered with a smile.

He followed her inside and everyone sat down at the counter, grabbing their own cup of Kool-Aid. Eve went through the cabinet and took out a box of cookies from the grocery store and set them onto the table. Both Jacob and Embry took a few of them greedily while Dylan had half, Eve couldn't resist and had one complete cookie.

"You know that you'll have to work off that right?" Dylan questioned Eve quietly.

"I think all this work that we're doing can do that." Eve replied.

Dylan nodded, finishing her half cookie. "True," She then grabbed the other half of her cookie before Jacob or Embry could grab it.

"What do you mean 'work it off'?" Jacob asked them curiously.

"Well, we can't be snacking like this." Dylan answered. "We have to stay in shape or else no magazines will be interested. That'll mean we'll be out of a job."

"Yea, but over a cookie? How much damage could that do?" Embry inquired.

"A lot." Eve and Dylan replied in a serious tone.

"If you say so..." Jacob's voice trailed off as he looked at Eve in confusion, still not understanding it.

After having their well earned break, they got right back to work on the house. At around five o'clock, Eve and Dylan were finishing up the finishing touches on the house while the boys were putting on the hinges for the fence's door.

"Alright, I just have to paint the few parts on the top." Eve mumbled.

Dylan and Eve then went to the shed, got out the ladder and set it up against the house. Dylan held it steady while Eve climbed it, paint brush and a small can of paint in hand. She cautiously worked on it and leaned over a few inches to the side to get the last bit of blue paint covered.

"Careful Eve," Dylan ordered.

A strong gust of wind blew at Eve and she lost her balance. Eve took hold of the roof and tried to pull herself up somehow. Eve didn't have the upper body strength to though, and was stuck hanging there.

"Eve!" Dylan yelled in a panic.

The boys' heads snapped up immediately and Jacob's heart raced as he saw her dangling from the roof. He jumped up from the ground and sprinted under her.

"Eve, let go, I'll catch you." he said.

Eve didn't know what to do. She trusted Jacob, and she knew that he wouldn't tell her to let go unless he really meant that he would catch her. However, the simple thought of letting go scared and shook her to the core.

"_Eve_," Jacob called. "I'll catch you. I promise. Just let go..."

His soothing and sincere tone soothed Eve and she found her grip loosening as her trust in Jacob grew. Soon her fingers slipped and Dylan screamed as Eve fell. Jacob's large and tanned arms caught her before she hit the ground. He held her like a baby with a tight, but gentle grasp. His heart resumed it's normal pace as he held her and she smiled up at him gratefully.

"I don't know how many times I've already said this, but _thank you_." Eve laughed shakily.

He laughed, his voice quiet as he was still getting over the fact she was almost hurt, and nodded. "I don't know how many times I've already said this, but _you're welcome_." He retorted.

They both smiled at each other for a moment before Jacob set her back gently onto the ground.

Eve looked up and smiled. "On the brighter side, I did get that one spot." She joked.

Dylan engulfed Eve in a bone crushing hug declaring that she was an idiot for trying to reach such a spot. Eve simply agreed to end Dylan's rant and the sisters then helped Jacob and Embry finish the fence.

When it was all done and they had cleaned up a bit, the sun was barely beginning to set at six.

"So am I going to be staying here with you?" Dylan asked.

"Well, right now I'm sleeping over at Jacob's." Eve began.

"Whoa, I guess you don't need me to help you out with guys anymore do you?" Dylan winked at her, teasing Eve.

"Oh shut up, not like that." Eve laughed. "It's a long story."

"Eve, I don't have an extra room for Dylan." Jacob admitted.

"I do!" Embry pipped up.

That seemed to catch Dylan's eye. "You do? Can I stay?" She asked innocently.

"Hell yea, for as long as you want!"

"Thanks!" Dylan hugged Embry and pulled away, beginning to flirtatiously bat her eyes at him.

"Why don't I take the two love birds home and you can drive over to my place in the Yukon?" Jacob suggested.

"Sounds good," Eve nodded. "I'm just going to grab a few more clothes though, so I'll leave after I'm done with that."

"Alright, see you at home."

Jacob then loaded everything up into his Rabbit and drove off. As the car got smaller, Eve felt a bit more lonely. She made her way into the house and into her room, grabbing another small suitcase and putting more clothes into it. She carried the luggage down and walked towards the front door.

Eve opened it slowly and jumped, gasping in surprise at what she saw...

"What are you doing here, Jesse...?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight**

Eve stared at Jesse in pure disbelief. What was _he _doing here? How did he even know where _here _was? She knew she didn't give him any indication about her where she was besides the fact it was a small town, and even then there was obviously not enough information to make a confident decision. So what was he doing here...?

"Oh, Eve," He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her into him and crashing his lips down upon her own. "Damn, I've missed you, babe."

"Um, Jes... _Jesse_, what are you doing here?" She repeated.

"I'll explain inside, Eve." He smiled and Eve walked backwards into the house, not looking at anything besides Jesse's dark brown orbs.

Now that she thought of it, they looked _exactly _like Jacob's. Everything about him reminded her of Jacob, though there were a few distinct differences, the biggest being the demeanor she got. With Jesse, she got an unloving, and cold feel about him, while with Jacob it was the exact opposite.

They sat down upon the white love seat and Eve's eyes darted everywhere, still not believing this was actually happening.

"Well, I—" Jesse began.

"_Wait_, how did you even know where I was?" Eve interrupted him.

"Your dad gave me the address. Now, as I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted, which can be made up with a kiss by the way." He winked at her and leaned forward, kissing Eve's lips as she stayed still like a statue. "When I called you, and we had our fight on the phone... it hit me. I was _losing _you, Eve." He whispered. "I was losing you and doing absolutely nothing to stop you from slipping out of my fingers." His hands grabbed Eve's and she stared at them, soon looking back up at Jesse. "I don't want to lose you, Eve. You're amazing, and I think all the fame_we_have is... well, the cause of it."

"Jesse, we both know that your want for me is purely _for _the fame. You don't love me." Jesse's grin faltered and panic swept over him. He needed to make up another story to make sure they stayed a couple, to make sure that he would remain by her side in the limelight. "Maybe you did in the beginning of this relationship, but you don't anymore."

Jesse smirked inwardly, he may have just found his answer. "Eve, I _do_ love you. You're right though, it was stronger in the beginning of our relationship." He paused and let the acting lessons he was currently taking shine through. "I just want... I just want another shot. I want to try and make this work. I want to show you how much I love you, really." Fake tears swelled in Jesse's eyes, and he knew that he was winning her over when Eve began to look away from him. "Like you said, there's no paparazzi here to ruin it for us. Eve we can make this work out for us, we can fix it, clean it up. Then, it'll be better and we'll love each other even more than we did before._Please_... let's try it, Eve."

Eve was ready to have a mental breakdown. If Jesse really loved her, shouldn't his love remained constant throughout their relationship, not fade out when the paparazzi came along? However... didn't everyone deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt...?

"Fine Jesse, we'll try to work this out." Eve replied shakily, not sure if her choice was the right one or not.

_No going back now... _Eve thought.

"Eve, I'm so glad," He grinned, enveloping her in a hug. He pulled her body into his lap and began to kiss her fiercely. "You won't regret it, babe."

"Were you staying in a hotel?"

"Well I thought that I could bunk with you tonight, babe." He replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

"Oh, cause I'm not staying here right now. I'm sleeping over at a friend's."

"Who?" He inquired, not sounding at all interested.

"His name is Jacob."

"_Jacob_?" He looked at her accusingly. "Are you cheating on me, Eve?"

"No...! No... I'd never cheat on anyone." She answered. "It's just that he didn't want me to stay here when that window was open. Anyone could come inside the house."

"Oh..." Jesse left a kiss on the top of her forehead. "Well, let's go get your things and then come back here." He stood up and extended his hand out for her to take. "I'll protect you from anything." He smirked, trying to act brave but instead came off as cocky, a trait that Eve wasn't too fond of.

Eve didn't want to do that. She'd rather tell Jesse to go to a nearby motel and go back to Jacob's home alone, though she knew that she couldn't do that for two reasons. One, Jesse would make it out to be a bigger deal that it was, claiming that she was cheating on him and go spreading gossip around the tabloids, and two, well... there really weren't any nearby motels in La Push anyways.

Jesse guided Eve out of the house and towards his Cattilac CTS Coupe that was parked beside the Yukon. They got inside the vehicle and Eve told him the way to Jacob's. Within minutes, they pulled up to the property and got out, walking towards the front door.

Eve knocked on the door, not feeling comfortable enough to simply walk on in and Jacob answered it, his grin on his lips until he saw Jesse beside Eve. It was a mixture of jealousy and hurt as he saw the guy's arm wrapped around Eve's waist, something that _he_ should be doing. Jesse noticed Jacob's slight reaction and then brought Eve closer to him, kissing the side of her face tenderly, trying to get even more of a rise out of Jacob. Jacob had to think of something else, about the other times he and Eve were alone, to not shift in front of them and tear Jesse to shreds, however, he so dearly wanted to punch his lights out.

"Hey Jake," Eve's soft and warm voice fell upon Jacob's ears delicately, and Jacob's mood was calmed down almost immediately. "Jake, this is Jesse Worth... my boyfriend." The "B" word cut Jacob up nastily inside and he knew that he'd rather be stabbed with a million blades than hear her refer to this guy as her boyfriend. "Jesse, this is Jacob Black, a really good friend of mine."

_That's all I am to her..._Jacob thought, filled to the brim with disappointment._Only a friend..._

"Nice to meet you, Jacob, any friend of Eve's is a friend of mine." Jesse stated, extending his hand out for Jacob to shake.

Jacob had never met such a repulsive human before. Jacob was feeling so much hatred for him that it was almost as bad as a leech. Jacob grabbed his hand firmly, a bit too much perhaps, and shook it stiffly. "Nice to meet you, too." He grumbled back in response.

"Jake," His head snapped up to see Eve's warm, honey globes staring into his dark chocolate ones and his anger seemed to melt away, leaving him calm and content. "I'm here to get my clothes. Jesse and I are going to be over at my house now."

"Why doesn't he just stay at a motel?" Jacob inquired, his voice raspy and annoyed.

"Jake..." Eve sighed, holding back a smile. "I can't do that to him."

"Oh I'm sure you could." Jacob mumbled under his breath, so low they couldn't hear him as he stepped to the side to let them inside the house.

Eve and Jesse walked in, and headed down the hallway into the room Eve had been occupying. Eve packed up all her belongings and was soon walked back towards the door to leave.

"C'mon, Eve." Jesse ordered, tugging on her wrist to follow him out of the house.

"Here, take my luggage and put it into the trunk, Jesse." She said, handing him the suitcase.

"Fine," He dramatically sighed, groaning as he walked out.

"I'm really sorry about him." Eve apologized to Jacob who had remained at the door's side the entire time. "He definitely has his moments."

"Whatever," Jacob mumbled.

Eve gave him a weak smile before standing on her tip toes and hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much for _everything_, Jake, you're incredible, I swear." She chuckled. "I'm really glad I met you."

Jacob smiled, soon letting his arms wrap themselves around Eve's waist, nice and snug. Jacob could only hope that Pretty Boy over there was getting a good look. He smirked into Eve's luscious dark brown hair as he heard the car honk loudly.

"Eve, c'mon!"

Eve pulled away and smiled up at Jacob. "And Jake, I really would like for you to continue taking me to visit my mom if that's alright with you."

He grinned before nodding slightly. "Just call me whenever you want and I'll be there."

Eve nodded enthusiastically before once again hugging him. "And just so you know, I thought about that whole 'motel' idea before we even came here." She whispered into his ear lightly.

Jacob held her tightly to his body, letting out a loud laugh. Jesse honked the car's horn once more and Eve groaned quietly.

"I better go before he has a hissy fit." She said. "I'll call you tomorrow morning or something. Maybe I'll drop by. I don't know, we'll see what happens." She shrugged her shoulders, slowly walking out of the house. "Bye Jake."

"Bye Eve, see ya."

Jacob didn't let his eyes tear away from Eve's frame as she got into the car. Jesse, who was driving, backed out and onto the street at at least thirty miles an hour and floored it out of there. Jacob couldn't help but smirk victoriously. He knew that he was intimidating Jesse.

"What's the rush?" Eve questioned.

"Well sorry, but I don't like it when guys hit on my girl."

"Two things... One, Jake wasn't hitting on me, and two, don't refer to me as 'your girl'. That's old and really rude, I'm not some item that someone can just call as their own."

Jesse sighed. "Sorry, babe, I just get really jealous sometimes. I just don't want to lose you to someone else."

"Don't worry Jesse, I'm not seeing Jake. And I would_never_cheat on you."

Jesse smiled and pulled her into his body, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as he kissed the top of her head. "Love you, Eve."

"Mhm," Eve mumbled, acting tired so she wouldn't have to say it back.

_I hope that what I just said won't come back and bite me in the ass._Eve thought, remembering what her mom, Darla, always said about that word... 

"Never say never..."


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine**

Eve woke up the following morning with a horrible headache, it was almost as if someone were banging her head against a brick wall. She slowly sat upright in her bed, tossing her covers to the foot of it, and yawning silently. She instantly regretted it when she smelled the awful stench of throw up in her mouth. Eve grimaced, making a disgusted face after closing her mouth.  
She couldn't believe that smell was still there after she had brushed her teeth at least three times last night. She had forced herself to regurgitate at least four times, a large amount compared to the usual one.  
Eve dismissed the matter, traveling towards her closet and grabbing some clothes before walking out of her room and into the bathroom. She stripped out of her pajamas and stepped into the steamy shower.  
Jesse heard the running water through the paper thin walls, and groaned aloud, shooting upwards with a scowl. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep at all. His bed was far too lumpy and firm for his likings.  
He hated this. He hated the bed. He hated this so-called "home" that looked more like a homeless shelter. And he hated the fact that he was having to go through so much trouble for fame. Jesse then remembered about Eve's mom, Darla, and he began to curse her and her "poor, pitiful shack".  
He was hoping that Darla would get healthy again soon, or at least kick the bucket quickly so they could get back to Beverly Hills where they belonged.  
_You'll be out of here soon, Jesse._ He repeated to himself, in hopes that it would be true. _Just have to make sure that everything goes perfectly._  
"That jackass has to get the picture." Jesse murmured, remembering about Jacob. "He better stay out of it. He'll screw it all up."  
Jesse figured that after their relationship was in the clear, he'd stay with her a little while longer, dump her, and go for a more famous girlfriend. It was what all the great celebrities did. It was how things worked.  
Jesse got ready after Eve stepped out of the shower and Eve went downstairs to make breakfast for them both. She made a few eggs, buttered toast, and bacon, setting it down on the table in a few minutes. She walked upstairs and towards the bathroom, knocking on the door.  
"Jesse?"  
"Hold on, Eve, I'm busy."  
She grumbled and rolled her eyes, walking away and into her room to be alone for a while. "He spends more time getting ready than I do." She mumbled.  
She sat down on her bed and pulled her legs up to her chest, waiting for Jesse to finish up so they could both head downstairs to eat breakfast. After a minute she let herself fall backwards into the bed and stared at the ceiling. Eve looked over at her nightstand at her cell phone, her eyes lingered upon it for a few seconds before her hand eagerly snatched it up from the table and dialed the number.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey Jake," Eve smiled upon hearing his deep voice.  
"Hey Eve, what's up?"  
"Nothing much, you?"  
"I just got up," He said through a yawn.  
"Oh, that's nice. I've been up for a while, I guess."  
"Well sorry that I can't be an early bird, like you." He replied, she could imagine his tongue sticking out at her.  
She laughed at the image and shook her head, not believing she had thought of it. "I'm waiting for Jesse to get out of the bathroom."  
"Oh..." It got quiet and she knew that he was irritated that she had brought him into the conversation. "Speaking of him, why are you with him?"  
"Well... I don't know..." Her voice trailed off.  
"How'd you guys meet?"  
Eve took a deep breath, getting comfortable on her bed and thinking back. "I met him about two years ago. I was doing a photo shoot for a magazine... and he was helping out on set. I was just starting out as a model, no one really knew my name, but I was getting small jobs here and there so it was all good.  
"I guess it was accidental. I was going to my changing room to get dressed and we bumped into each other. He was carrying a few boxes filled with lenses for the camera, and he dropped them all. I helped him pick 'em up and we started talking. When I was called to the set, he stood to the side watching me pose. He'd send small gestures to make me laugh, which got him in trouble a few times, and then I'd laugh even more." Eve chuckled to herself, but stopped when she heard Jake give a low growl. "Anyways, um... we started talking and going out as friends. We started dating after six months of meeting. He wanted to get together earlier, but I wanted to take things slowly."  
"How'd he ask you?"  
"He took me to the movies in the morning, then we went to the local park, played on the playground, and he took me to a concert that night. It was a band we both liked, Nickelback, and after we went out to eat at a 24 hour diner. He took me home and asked me at the door ad I said 'yes'."  
"Did you like it? The way he asked you, I mean?"  
"Well, it was nice, but I think I would have liked a more romantic setting instead."  
"Why'd you say 'yes'?"  
"He was a nice guy, and we'd known each other for a while." Eve shrugged. "It seemed like the right thing to do."  
"Did you even like him?"  
"Yea, I liked him. If I didn't I wouldn't have gotten with him in the first place." She answered.  
"Did you love him...?"  
Eve remained quiet, but answered nonetheless. "No... no, I didn't love him."  
"Do you love him right now...?"  
"I can't say..." She whispered. Eve wanted to change the subject, she didn't feel comfortable with all this questioning about Jesse. Jacob wasn't helping her want to try and work things out with Jesse. "So, do you think you can take me to the hospital, Jake?" She inquired. "I mean, if you're busy or you don't want to it's totally fine, I'm just asking."  
Jacob smiled and chuckled, thinking that it was cute when Eve went rambling on like that. "Sure, sure, I'll take you. When do you want me to come over?"  
Eve bit her lip and then smiled. "Why don't you come over right now? I mean, I just made breakfast for Jesse and I. I can make some more really fast."  
"Alright, I'm on my way." Jake replied with a goofy grin that he was happy she couldn't see.  
"Just walk on in when you get here."  
"Will do, Eve, see ya."  
Eve hung up the phone and put it into her pocket before dashing out of her room and down the stairs, bounding into the kitchen. She got out more toast, bacon and eggs, making as much as she thought necessary knowing that Jake could have a big appetite. As she was placing the freshly made breakfast onto the table, the front door opened and Jacob was standing in the door frame.  
"Jake," Eve smiled, walking over and giving him a welcoming hug. "Morning." She mumbled into his chest.  
"Morning, Eve, smells good in here." He responded, looking down at her with a smile.  
"Thanks." She guided him to the table and she handed him a glass of OJ before sitting down herself and beginning to eat with him.  
"So how was your night?" Eve asked.  
"Long and boring."  
"You look like you didn't sleep at all." She gave him a worried glance as she took a sip of her drink.  
The truth was that Jacob hadn't slept. He had gotten used to having Eve around him all the time, that it was wrong for her to not be there with him. Knowing that she wasn't in the same house as he was last night threw him off, and he couldn't think of sleeping. He needed to know that she was safe, and he knew that she wasn't safe with Jesse, or at least not as safe as she was with _him_.  
"Eh, there was a lot of activity in the woods that I could hear, lots of wolves howling." He shrugged, taking a sip of his OJ.  
"There are wolves here?"  
He paused, looking around the room for a few seconds before nodding. "Yea, a few." He shrugged. "I haven't seen them, but sometimes you can hear them at night."  
"That sounds really cool, I've always wondered what wolves looked like. I've never seen one in person." Eve commented. "Maybe I should go sightseeing one night." She chuckled.  
"Don't, it's really easy to get lost and it's dangerous. _Especially_ at night."  
"Hey, hey, I can be tough when I want to."  
"Sure, you can." Jacob sarcastically agreed.  
"Take that back," Eve's eyes glared at him playfully and she was biting down on her tongue to make sure she didn't smile like an idiot.  
"Make me." Jacob taunted.  
"Fine..." She grinned. "No more food."  
Her hands went to the plates where the food was assembled and began to pull them towards her and away from Jacob's grasp.  
He smirked and reached for her chair's leg, pulling her closer to him and the food as well in the process. "I win." He snickered.  
"You suck."  
"Ooh, that _really_ hurt."  
"It's only going to get worse."  
"Not if I can help it." Jacob smirked and pulled Eve into his lap, tousling her hair, squishing her lightly in his arms, and sending her into a fit of laughter.  
"What the fuck are you doing here?"  
Eve and Jacob turned to see Jesse standing in the middle of the door frame with an infuriated expression, and eyes as black as coal. Eve immediately got off of Jacob's lap and walked over to him.  
"Jesse, it was _nothing_. Jake and I were just playing around."  
"_Screwing around_ is more like it." He growled.  
"Hey! Don't you _ever_ talk to Eve like that again, got it?" Jacob yelled, standing up and walking over towards them.  
"_You_ stay out of it. This doesn't concern you."  
"You wanna feel how hard I can _punch_, Pretty Boy?" Jacob snarled.  
"'_Pretty Boy_'?!" Jesse hollered. "Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less than name calling from a stupid, uneducated, person such as yourself."  
"Shut up, just shut up!" Eve yelled. "Stop fighting, it's stupid and useless!"  
"Let _me_ be the mature one." Jesse said, walking past Eve and Jacob to the table.  
"Jesse..." Eve gave him a stern look, telling him not to push his luck. Eve looked over at Jacob who was trembling angrily. She felt partly responsible and touched his arm. "You okay...?"  
"I'll wait outside." Jacob growled, walking out of the house, causing Jesse to smirk.  
"About time he left." He murmured.  
"Jesse...?"  
"Yes, babe?"  
"Shut the fuck up from now on and stay away from me for the rest of the day." Eve said, grabbing a few of her things quickly and walking out the door.  
Jesse glared at the two of them from the kitchen window as he watched the both of them talk for a little while, Eve calming Jacob down and soon getting a laugh out of him. They finally got into the Yukon, Jacob driving while Eve rode shotgun, and drive away down the road. Jesse's hands were balled into fists, and his fingernails were digging into his skin.  
His eyes looked across the front yard and noticed Jacob's old, red Volkswagen Rabbit parked on the side of the road. He chuckled before grabbing a sharp knife from the drawer and walking outside the house.  
Hey... payback's a _**bitch**_...


	10. Chapter 10

Ten

Jacob and Eve walked down the halls of the hospital, heading for Darla's room. Eve was walking stiffly, contemplating whether or not surgery would be an option for her mom's cancer. Jacob could sense all the tension radiating off her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to calm her, and when she looked up at him, he smiled reassuringly down at her.

"It's going to be alright, Eve."

She smiled back gratefully and nodded. "I hope so."

They reached Darla's room and walked inside, seeing her sleeping on her bed. She looked like she had more color to her sun-kissed skin, which was good, and she looked serene as she dozed. Eve smiled, taking her mom's hand and kissing it quickly before setting it down onto her lap.

They sat down on the chairs and Eve stared at her mom lovingly, while Jacob stared at Eve the same way. He felt the urge to be closer with her. That pull towards her that never left him was intensifying.

He scooted his chair closer to her quietly and pulled her towards his body, letting his arms be the comfort she needed. Instantly, she relaxed into them. All the worries in her mind vanished and all she could think about was him, and how he was perfect to her.

Perfect _for_ her.

She wanted to be his, and she wanted him to be hers. Eve thought that they were good together. These past few days had been great, terrific even. It was almost like something out of those cheesy movies that came out every other month, but it was so much better than that. This wasn't scripted, it was real.

That was also the bad part about it.

Eve didn't know the ending. She couldn't turn a few pages and see what would happen later on. She didn't know if something would happen and tear this friendship apart. Eve didn't know if Jesse would actually make a complete turn around and make things right again in their relationship.

Eve stole a quick glance at Jacob and the way he contently looked up at the ceiling. He knew quite well that Eve's honey eyes were lingering upon him for a few seconds, and it made a small grin arise on his face.

_I wish I could kiss him, just so I could know how it feels. _Eve concluded, quickly turning away before Jacob turned to look at her.

As she expected, she noticed Jacob turning to face her from the corner of her eye, though she didn't look back at him. Blush was already coming to her cheeks and she didn't want it to become more visible by staring into those dark brown eyes of his that were so entrancing.

The door opened and Eve snapped out of her daydreaming, sitting upright and looking towards the door frame. "Hello ," She greeted warmly. "How are you?"

"I'm quite well, Eve, thank you for asking." Carlisle smiled back at her. "And yourself?"

"About the same." She answered. "How did everything go yesterday with my mom and the member from the medical center?"

It remained silent and Carlisle began to smile. "They said it was possible. However, it will be a while before they are able to do the operation. They'd like her to continue on with chemotherapy for a little longer so the surgery will be more successful."

Eve's lips contorted themselves into a smile, her eyes shining with hope, and she mentally told herself to not go overboard. "That's great!" She shouted, jumping up and landing on her feet. "How long will she have to have chemotherapy for before they're able to do the surgery?"

"Well, it'd be in her best interest to continue for six to twelve months, just to be on the safe side."

"Oh, well, that's longer than I expected..." Eve's voice trailed off, but instantly snapped out of her brooding mood. "But it's still good news. Thank you, Dr. Cullen."

Carlisle gave a simple nod before smiling. "I was glad to help. We can release her later tonight or early tomorrow morning, whichever you prefer."

"Well, I need to get her room cleaned up so, can you discharge her tomorrow?"

"Sure, well, I'm happy I could help. I have to go now and tend to the other patients. Have a good day." He smiled, waving as he closed the door.

Eve turned to Jacob and grinned from ear to ear. "Can you believe it?" She squealed giddily. "She can come home tomorrow!"

"Yea, it's great!" Jacob answered, laughing as Eve bombarded him with one of her warm hugs.

A few hours had passed and Jacob and Eve had chatted and played games of Go Fish and Speed with a pack of cards that they had bought from the Gift Store downstairs.

Eve's eyes darted through each card in her hand and quickly put down one card, picking another one from her deck. Jacob's hand then put down his remaining card onto the pile and smirked victoriously as he claimed victory.

"You cheat, I swear."

"No, I'm just quicker than you." Jacob retorted. "I'll be back, I'm going to the restroom."

"Don't fall in," Eve muttered with a smile.

"Don't make me beat you for the_sixth_time in a row, Eve." Jacob teased.

Eve grabbed the small cardboard box for the cards and threw it at him, though he was already out the door, causing it to miss and hit the wall.

She walked over and picked it up from the ground, placing it on the small table where it resided earlier.

Arms wrapped around Eve's waist and her skin tingled, earning goosebumps everywhere. A small bouquet of Daisies appeared before her in one of the tanned hands and she grinned.

"I thought you'd love them," A smooth voice murmured into her ear. The smile fell once she realized it wasn't who she thought it was and she turned around in his grasp.

"Jesse, I told you to stay away from me for the rest of the day." She said sternly. "You shouldn't have come."

"Eve, I just wanted to apologize to you for this morning." He replied in a sincere tone, making Eve look away from his pleading gaze.

"_I_ shouldn't be the one you're apologizing to. You should be apologizing to _Jacob_." Eve retorted.

"If you want me to, that's what I'll do."

"Good, he should be coming back in a few minutes." Eve smirked, sitting down and looking away from Jesse who was mentally cursing all of them into a oblivion.

Darla grumbled and slowly turned in her bed, her eyes soon becoming visible as her eyelids lifted. She saw Jesse and smiled. "Oh... hello Jacob, how is your father, Billy?" She inquired.

Jesse nearly threw the flowers that were in his tight grasp at the sickly woman. He was able to control himself though, and gave a fake laugh. "I'm not Jacob, . My name is Jesse Worth, and I'm dating your lovely daughter, Eve."

"Mom!" Eve yelled and engulfed her in a tight hug. "I'm so happy you woke up..." She mumbled into her dark brown locks.

"Oh..." Eve let Darla go and she looked at her daughter who had transformed. "My Eve... you're nothing but skin and bones now." She chuckled. "You look nice though."

Eve rolled her eyes and chuckled as tears formed in her eyes. "Thanks mom." She replied. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sick to my stomach, though it's probably due to the chemotherapy. They told you, didn't they...?"

"Yea, I know, Mom..." Eve nodded. "I just can't believe you have cancer."

"Well, it happens to the best of us," She joked, trying to liven the mood. "How was California?"

"La Push is better."

Darla grinned and gave a small laugh. "I've bought every single magazine that you've modeled for, even if I had to have it imported."

The tears in Eve's eyes spilled over and she quickly wiped them away one by one. "Mom, I'm sorry that I didn't keep in touch when I was away. I got caught up in everything."

"I can only imagine, Eve." Darla pulled Eve onto the side of her bed and wiped away the other tears that cascaded down. "But seeing you in those magazines, and seeing your eyes light up was enough for me." She patted Eve's hand gently, and Eve squeezed Darla's hand in response. "If you're happy, then I'm happy. Always remember that."

"I love you, mom." Eve whispered, her voice shaky and cracking at the last moment.

Darla, who now had tears in her own eyes as well, smiled and pulled her daughter into a weak hug. "I love you, too, Evangeline."

Eve was slightly annoyed when her mom used her full name, however, she didn't tell Darla that it was "Just Eve". She wanted to savor and remember it, so she would never forget how her mom said it.

Darla chuckled, and pulled away. "Well, aren't you going to say it? 'It's _just_ Eve, mom.'" Darla teased.

"Not this time."

"So..." Darla looked over Eve's shoulders and her eyes landed upon Jesse. "You're dating my daughter? How long has this relationship been going on for?"

"A year and a half," Eve answered.

"My, that's a long time." Darla looked surprised, but then looked back at Jesse. "Why did you get with my daughter Jesse?"

"I think she's the most beautiful person, inside and out."

"That sounds a bit rehearsed, doesn't it?" She questioned.

"Mom," Eve put an end to her mom's interrogation, though she enjoyed seeing Jesse look so nervous.

"Hey I'm back, what did I miss?"

All eyes went to Jacob who noticed Darla was now awake, with Eve sitting on the side of the bed. Everything went red when he saw Jesse standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Jacob calmed down instantly when Eve sent a smile at him and he walked passed Jesse and to her side casually.

"Hey Darla, how are you?"

"I'm fine Jacob, what about you and Billy?"

"We're good. Billy says hi."

"Well tell him I say hello back, will you?"

"Why don't you tell him yourself tomorrow?" Eve asked with a smile. "You're getting out tomorrow."

"Really? That's nice." Darla smiled sincerely.

"Yea, I have to make your room tonight, and then I'll be back first thing in the morning."

"Here, Mrs. Blair, would you like these Daisies?" Jesse inquired, showing them to Darla.

"Oh, no thank you, Jesse. They're lovely, but Eve's favorite flowers are Daisies, you should give them to her."

Jesse then handed the bouquet over to Eve, who murmured a thank you in response. Eve looked at the clock that read 7:50 PM, and gave a tired sigh.

"Visiting hours are going to be over right now, mom, I'll be back in the morning though."

"Alright Eve, get a good night's rest. Sleep tight and dream with the angels, baby."

The two shared a hug before everyone left the room to let Darla rest more. The walk towards the parking garage was silent and the air that surrounded them was tense.

"How did you get here, Jesse?" Eve asked.

"I took a cab since I didn't know where the hospital was." He answered, looking over at his girlfriend. "Jeez, Eve, you look cold." He then took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders, making sure her arms were inside the sleeves.

They reached the car and Eve sat in the backseat while Jesse and Jacob sat in the front. Jacob was driving and Jesse was staring at the world that passed him by.

"Jesse," Eve called.

"Yea, Eve?"

"Weren't you going to do something, or better yet_say_something to Jacob?"

Jesse turned away and mentally cursed the fact that she had remembered about him apologizing to Jacob for that morning. He took a deep breath, cleared his throat a few times, and rolled his eyes before beginning to speak. "Jacob, I'm sincerely—what the _fuck _happened to my car?!"

Everyone turned to look at his vehicle and Eve was trying to hold back her laughter, while Jacob burst out immediately, pulling over to the side of the road to park.

Jesse jumped out of the car and ran over to his Cadillac, staring at it in the utmost horror. Eve and Jacob walked over together and Eve was biting her lip so she would refrain from laughing, however Jacob was now gripping his sides.

Jesse's car had Bologna stuck all over the car. They all knew that Bologna on car paint can make it fade, and as Eve tried to imagine what it would look like afterwards, she burst out into hysterics along with Jacob.

Jesse walked around to the driver's seat and reached for the door handle, looking disgusted to find his hand now covered in peanut butter. He wiped the sticky substance onto the grass, not wanting to dirty his designer clothes. He opened the door and got into it, his nose wrinkling up as he smelled the stench. He looked in the back of the car to find at least 10 fully unwrapped Pine scented air fresheners. Jesse started the car and the air condition kicked in. Flour hurtled towards him and got all over his clothes and face.

Anger boiled up inside of him and he stormed out of the car and towards Jacob. "_You _did this, didn't you?!"

"Yea, because I can be at two places at once," Jacob sarcastically remarked.

"Yea, c'mon Jesse, Jacob was with me the whole time, he couldn't have done this."

"I swear I'm gonna—"

"Jesse!" Eve yelled. "Get over it. You know damn well that Jacob couldn't have done this."

Jesse glared cruelly at Eve and then at Jacob before retreating into the house, cursing them both under his breath. Jacob's hands balled up into fists when he heard Jesse curse about Eve always siding with him.

"Jake, I'm so sorry." Eve apologized. "I don't know what's gotten into him. I don't think I can stand much more of it though."

"You should just dump him."

"If he goes off on you like that again, I will." She said. "That's a promise I'm making to myself."

Jacob smiled. "Good, because you deserve someone better than that guy."

They said goodbye and Jacob got into his car and received a call from Embry.

"That was so fucking hilarious!" Embry yelled.

Jacob laughed. "Yea, it was. You guys did it, but why?"

"The fucker slashed your tires! Seth and I saw and we wanted to mess with him. We replaced your tires with the ones you had in your shed and got the rest of the gang to help out with trashing his car. Of course Leah and Sam didn't help. Fun suckers..."

"Okay, well, thanks Embry, I'm gonna go home now. I'm tired."

"'Kay, remember you have your shift tomorrow morning until noon."

"Shit..." He cursed.

"What's wrong?"

"Eve's going to bring her mom home tomorrow morning and I was going to be there to help out."

"Dude... I'm sorry, but... me and Quil can't think about taking another one of your shifts. We're tired and wanna spend time with Dylan and Claire. I'm sorry, Jake..."

"No, it's fine. I'll do my shift tomorrow. Thanks for always doing it for me."

"No problem, gotta go, bye."

"Bye."

Jacob closed the phone and started up his car, driving home. At least he wouldn't have to stand Jesse for much longer. Knowing him, he'd explode on him again tomorrow, and then he'd be gone and out of the picture.

Then he would have his chance with Eve and it would all work out... he _hoped_...


	11. Chapter 11

**Eleven**

Eve's phone began to ring loudly from the nightstand, the alarm she had set last night waking her up at 6:30 just as she wanted. Her arm lazily slid up the bed and onto the small table, searching for the electronic device. She turned it off with ease and stared at her dimly lit room.  
After mentally collecting herself, she got up from her bed and gathered some sweats and a baggy t-shirt to get dressed in.  
_Today mom's coming home,_She remembered, a smile creeping upon her lips.  
She combed her hair quickly, putting it into a messy ponytail, and walked out of her room and down the hall towards her mom's.  
She walked inside and her nose scrunched up. It was stuffy, and the first thing she did was open up the window to let some fresh air in. She flipped the switch and the lamp turned on, lighting the room immediately.  
Luckily for Eve, Darla kept things tidy most of the time. Eve straightened up the floor first, picking up the few pieces of clothes and knick-knacks that were occupying the much needed space, and putting them where they belonged. She went to her mom's bed next, taking off all the covers and throwing them to the side. Eve got some fresh blankets from her mom's closet and began to remake the bed, making a mental note to wash the sheets later on in the day.  
"Eve, what are you doing?" She turned to see Jesse standing in the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her with interest.  
"Cleaning up my mom's room for when she comes home today." She answered. "Can you finish the bed while I go get the vacuum cleaner?" Without waiting for an answer, she walked past him and down the hallway, heading down the stairs and out of sight.  
Jesse grumbled and slowly approached the bed. He sighed as he grabbed the comforter and messily began to finish Eve's task. This wasn't for him; back in Beverly Hills he had a few maids to do this for him daily. He didn't understand how she liked doing this, let alone would_want_to.  
After finishing, he looked at the bed, the covers were messy and bunched up in some areas, and the pillows were uneven at the top of the bed.  
"Did you finish?" Eve asked, reappearing with a small vacuum cleaner in tow. She looked at the bed and couldn't believe what she saw. She grew irritated, but knew she should have expected it when asking_him_to do something just a little laborious. "Why don't you just go downstairs?" She ended up suggesting.  
Silently he walked out of the room and Eve glared at the bed. She took off the few blankets and straightened the pillows, picking one up to her face and groaning loudly into it to let out a bit of her frustration.  
After finishing, Eve began to vacuum up the dirt and anything else on the floor. She turned off the vacuum and wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead, sighing tiredly.  
She looked out the window and saw a figure in the distance. Her heart stopped as she saw the man from the first day she had arrived in La Push. His golden hair was still the same and he looked to be even paler than before. The things that scared her the most were his beady crimson eyes that still glowed luminously like they had the first time she saw him, and now knowing that it hadn't been her jet lag or imagination that made him appear.  
This guy was_real_.  
"Eve!" Jesse yelled.  
She tore her eyes away quickly from the man to look to see if Jesse was there, but soon looked back out the window to see he was already gone. Her heart's palpitations were hard and relentless.  
"Eve!"  
_What does he want?_Her nose scrunched up and she sniffed the air._What's that smell...?_  
Her eyes widened as she realized it was smoke, and she darted out of the room and into the kitchen. The frying pan on the stove was aflame and she darted towards one of the cabinets, pulling out a fire extinguisher. She took off the small safety pin, aimed it at the stove and pressed down on the lever, the fire-extinguishing material shooting out. Once the flame was put out, Eve let out a sigh of relief as she tried to make her heart beat return to normal.  
She turned towards Jesse who stared wide-eyed at the now destroyed stove, glaring daggers into him. She threw the large red cannister to the side and marched over to him with rage in her eyes.  
"Jesse, what the_fuck_were you doing?!" She screamed, absolutely infuriated. "Are you that incapable of doing anything right?!"  
"Hey, it's your damn ancient stove that's at fault, Eve!" He retaliated.  
"No, I think it has something to do with the fact that you've been babied all your life and can't do anything without someone helping you or doing it for you themselves!"  
Jesse was growing frustrated himself, but didn't want to do anything too risky to make Eve angrier._She's going to tell me to leave if I burst out at her..._Jesse thought, growing worried that everything he had done here would be in vain.  
"You're right..." He mumbled softly. "I can't do anything by myself. I never had a mom or dad to teach me how to do things around the house. They were always off at work, and I was alway being pampered by the babysitters. They did everything for me. They wouldn't allow me to do anything." He looked at Eve and began to make his eyes watery. "You had Darla... I had no one. So forgive me for not being able to do anything because I never learned." He wanted to smirk as he saw the guilt in her brown eyes._Hook, line, and sinker..._  
Eve wasn't sure what to say. It sounded truthful, and by the way he looked at her... she didn't want to tell him she didn't trust or believe in him. "Just sit down on the couch and do not... touch..._anything_."  
Eve brushed past him and back into her mom's room. She took a deep breath to calm herself down just a bit before resuming what she was doing. Eve organized her mom's closet, and dusted the entire room before deciding that it was good and clean.  
Eve sighed as she walked back downstairs and into the kitchen, realizing she now had to clean the mess both her and Jesse had created... more_Jesse_than her. She grabbed a few wipes and began to wipe down the counter, making sure to get all the stains off of it. She collected all of the pots and pans from the counter and put them into the dish washer, deciding it would be better than doing them manually.  
It took her around 10 minutes to completely clean the counter and stove, and when she was finished, she let out an exhausted sigh. She didn't want to do anything anymore. She wanted to retreat to her room and take a long rewarding nap.  
She looked over at the clock to see it was around 8:30._Today's been a stressful day... and it isn't even past nine yet. Joy..._Eve rubbed her temples and tried to convince herself that today still could be good. "Stay optimistic." She reminded herself softly.  
She walked upstairs and into her room, grabbing new clothes for the day and heading into the shower. She got her cell phone from her sweat pants and put on one of the playlists she had on it, soon stepping into the shower. The steamy water soothed her tense muscles and she was able to just relax for once. She remembered today was the day her mom was coming home and smiled at that fact.  
She heard the music stop and looked at her phone that was now lit up with a new text message. She wiped her hands dry on a nearby towel and reached for her phone.  
_Hey it's Jacob :)_  
She smile and replied quickly._Hey, sorry but I'm taking a shower right now so why don't you just come over for breakfast at nine. We'll talk then. (;_  
Jacob received the text and after reading began to blush lightly, trying to stop himself from imagining her in the shower. He sighed as he replied back to her._Sorry, can't do breakfast today. :( I have to run some errands for my dad so I was thinking maybe I could just stop by later today, is that alright with you?_  
Eve frowned a bit upon receiving and reading the message, but definitely wouldn't say anything._That's fine, but you'll have to make it up to me later (; Hope running errands today will be fun, fun, fun! Stop by whenever you want (:_  
Jacob smiled at her being understanding, but knew that she would be no matter what. "C'mon Jake!" Paul shouted from his backyard. Jacob grumbled before running out of his room and into the trees, shifting as soon as he was out of sight, starting his patrol.  
After rinsing the suds off her body, she got out and wrapped the towel around her torso, drying off and getting dressed. She decided to let her hair air dry and gave it a quick brush before walking downstairs.  
"Let's go," She said to Jesse who was on his phone.  
"What about breakfast?" He asked.  
"We'll just pick something up on the way, I don't feel like making anything."  
They both walked out and got into the large Yukon, Jesse mumbling curses under his breath as they passed his still damaged car. Jesse was driving and the ride towards the hospital was quiet. There wasn't any place to really pick up food from, and so they decided to simply eat at the cafeteria at the hospital.  
After arriving and having a small breakfast, the two of them walked into Darla's room to find her reading a newspaper. She looked up and noticed Eve smiling at her. Immediately her arms widened and Eve was hugging her mom happily.  
"I'm so glad you're coming home today." She mumbled.  
"Me, too, honey."  
"I cleaned up your room and tried to make it nice and neat for you."  
"Thank you, Evangeline," Her mom smiled happily, pulling her daughter into another hug. "You're great."  
"Ah, I was just about to call you to see if you were on your way." Everyone looked and saw Dr. Cullen standing next to the door, clipboard in hand, a smile on his pale face, and his usual white coat over his nicely pressed clothes.  
Eve smiled and stood up straight. "Eager to get rid of my mom, Dr. Cullen?" She joked.  
"Not at all, Eve," He gave a hearty laugh, walking over to the three of them. "I just needed to have you and your mother sign a few papers stating you would be taking Darla home today, that's all."  
"Oh, alright,"  
Carlisle then handed Eve the clipboard, and she sat down onto a chair. Eve got the pen and began to sign in the spaces Carlisle instructed her to sign, and soon handed Darla the papers to sign as well.  
Darla handed him the clipboard with a smile. "Thank you so much for all that you've done, Dr. Cullen. It's means much more to me than you can imagine."  
"I was happy to help you, Darla. I hope that things will only get better for you." He spoke sincerely. "The hospital will get in touch with you to set up some more appointments for chemotherapy. After that, I will personally get in touch with the UCLA medical center again and ask them about surgery for the cancer, and will call you to discuss the details." Carlisle's pager began to beep and light up, and he quickly took a glance. "I have to go, but Nurse Jackie will come right now with a wheelchair and then you'll be able to leave. Goodbye, drive safely."  
After waiting a few minutes, the nurse arrived with the wheelchair like Carlisle had said, and helped Darla into it. The four of them walked out into the hallway and towards the elevator, and it soon dinged, the elevator doors sliding open.  
"Evangeline, may I talk to you for a minute?" Carlisle approached her slowly with his usual smile.  
Darla and Jesse looked at Eve in confusion, wondering what he could've wanted. "Go ahead, I'll meet you at the car." She said. Finally, they left as the sliding doors closed and began to descend in the shaft back towards the first floor. "Yes, Dr. Cullen?"  
"I forgot to mention earlier that Darla may be weak for her first few days home, so I let Nurse Jackie know to let you and Darla keep the wheelchair for the time being."  
"Oh, I see," Eve nodded her head in understanding, however, Dr. Cullen stayed by her side. "Was there something else?"  
"Oh, no... however, I noticed that Jacob wasn't here today, is he sick by any chance?"  
"No, he called me earlier today and let me know that he had to run some errands for his dad. Why do you ask?"  
"No reason, I'm simply concerned." He replied quickly. "There's just been a stomach bug floating around and since Darla's immune system is a bit weak at the moment, it would be best to keep her away from him if he were sick."  
"Alright, thank you for letting me know."  
"It was nothing." He said through his small smile. "Well, I must tend to the other patients. I hope to see you again, Eve, hopefully on better terms though." He chuckled.  
"Same here, Dr. Cullen, goodbye."  
As he left, the elevator's dinged and she walked inside before it closed, pushing the small button. She walked outside of the hospital and towards the parking garage where Jesse and Darla were waiting for her in the car.  
Without a word, they began to travel home and Eve couldn't help but feel more complete than she had a few days ago.  
_If only Jake were here, too,_She concluded.  
As they arrived home, Eve ordered Jesse to grab the wheelchair out of the back of the car and he did so with a soft, irritated sigh. Eve helped her mom out of the car, letting her be used as a support system and then helped her into the wheelchair. She wheeled Darla into the home and they both were grinning happily.  
"Welcome home, mom."  
"It's good to be home, Eve." Darla grabbed her daughters hand, giving it a soft squeeze before showing a small smile.  
Hours had passed and Eve never left Darla's side. They talked about California, Eve's many jobs as a model, and the traveling she did in the past few years. They played a few board games they once played when Eve was a small child and it was like things had never really changed at all.  
While Darla was in the lavatory, Jesse approached Eve with an annoyed look. "Eve, can_we_spend some time together for once?"  
She glared at him for being somewhat inconsiderate. "I'm spending time with my mom, Jesse. I haven't done this in years._Literally_. So no, we can't spend some time together. Maybe later, okay?"  
Jesse grumbled. "Fine, I'm going to bed. See you in the morning." He walked up the staircase and out of sight, and for some reason, this made Eve more a ease.  
Darla came out of the bathroom and wheeled herself back into the living room where Eve sat upon the couch. Once again the two become interactive with one another and began to do the one thing they did very well together..._gossip_.  
"So," Darla started, clearing her throat. "Tell me about... Jesse."  
"What do you wanna know?"  
"Well, why do you like him?"  
"I... I don't know," Eve shrugged her shoulders and stared at the floor, taking a strand of her hair and playing with it in her fingers.  
"What's this 'I don't know'?" Her mother looked confused, and also a bit irritated. "You_should_know. Don't tell me you're his girlfriend for some stupid reason like social status or some other crap like that, Evangeline." Eve flinched slightly at her mother's tone, shrinking back in her seat. Darla sighed and frowned at Eve's reaction. "I'm sorry, honey, you know how I am about relationships."  
"Yes, I know, mom."  
Eve remembered her mom's relationship with her dad. They had never really gotten along after Eve was born. Too many things had gone wrong. When they were married, things only got worse. They said their vows to make things "right", and it seemed to only make things wrong. Eve knew that Darla didn't want Eve to make the same mistake she had made and stay with someone who didn't even care about her.  
"I don't know, honey, something about that boy... well, it just makes me think that you can do_so_much better."  
Eve chuckled lightly, a small smile coming onto her lips. "Well, our relationship has been a little bumpy right now because I've gotten so much attention these past few months. We're trying to get back to how things were when we started off, you know?"  
Her mom grimaced, but nodded all the same. "I see, so... you have feelings for him?"  
"...Yes." She replied, unsure about her answer.  
"You know who I can see you with?"  
"Who?"  
"Jacob." She answered. "Now_he_seems like the right boy for you. You two... you would make a beautiful couple. Can't you just see it?" She looked at Eve who was now day dreaming about Jacob in her mind, imagining everything her mom was talking about. "I can see you two perfectly... Oh, Eve, you'd be so perfect for one another!" Her mom gushed.  
"Mom, stop it...!" Eve laughed. "I can't be thinking about Jacob like that, not while I'm still with Jesse."  
"Fine, fine... but you can't tell me you haven't thought about him romantically." She smirked as Eve blushed lightly and her mom laughed happily. "Help me to my room, Eve? I'm tired and feeling sleepy."  
Eve helped her mom stand up and walked with her up the stairs and into her room. Darla told Eve that she was capable of changing herself and going to bed on her own, and Eve wished her mom a goodnight and walked into her own room.  
She changed into some boxer shorts and a loose tank top for bed, and slipped underneath the covers, getting comfortable. Eve stole a quick glance at her phone's clock and noticed it was already going to be 10:45.  
_I guess Jake couldn't come today..._She thought._Well, I can't expect him to_always_be here, that's asking too much of him._  
As she was about to fall asleep, she heard a soft tapping coming from her window. Her eyes shot open and she sat up in bed slowly. Walking over to it cautiously, she looked down to see a shirtless Jacob standing below with a small smile.  
She smiled back down and opened up her window. "Jake, what are you doing here so late?" She whispered.  
"I told you I'd come see you," He replied, acting as if she should have known.  
She rolled her eyes, the smile on her lips only growing bigger. "Wait a second, I'll come unlock the door."  
"No, Eve, just back up."  
"What?"  
"Back up," He repeated.  
Confused, she slowly back up against the foot of her bed and after a few seconds, Jacob jumped up from below and climbed through her window, making Eve jump slightly.  
"How'd you do that?"  
"Ancient Chinese secret." He winked playfully, and they both sat down on her soft bed.  
"So what are you doing here so late at night?"  
"I already told you," He chuckled. "I told you I would come and see you."  
She nodded, deciding to let it slide. "What did you have to do today?" She inquired curiously.  
"Just go into Port Angeles and buy a few things. The house needs to have a few things redone and I'm the designated handyman so I take care of it."  
"So I take it you're good with your hands?"  
He chuckled, leaning in towards Eve slowly. "Oh... I'm_very_good with my hands." He smirked, seeing Eve subconsciously lick and bite her lips.  
Eve couldn't help but remember what her mom said about her and Jacob making a "good couple" and started to imagine things. Her eyes darted to Jacob's lips that beckoned her and then back to his chocolate orbs that pleaded with her to just give in.  
A new sort of emotion erupted inside of Eve, and she felt herself slowly be pulled towards Jacob. She scooted towards him on the bed, and took a shaky, deep breath.  
"Jake...?"  
"Yeah, Eve?"  
"Just go with this..." She mumbled, and then pushed her lips softly against his.  
Immediately Jacob responded, kissing her back gently, causing goosebumps to form on her skin. A sort of giddiness grew inside her and she let her hands travel from her lap, up his well sculpted chest, and through his black cropped hair. Jacob's hands did their own traveling as they went from the bed sheets to around her small, petite waist, pulling her body closer to his own, causing them to separate for a split second.  
The passionate feeling left Eve within an instant, and it felt like she could no longer breathe. Her new source of oxygen was Jacob, and he was now a necessity.  
Her lips crashed back down onto his and they kissed more urgently than before, their bodies molding together, not a single space between them. Eve's legs wrapped around Jacob's waist as she sat in his lap comfortably, and he began to kiss her neck, leaving butterfly kisses everywhere he could reach.  
_What am I doing...?_She thought._I'm cheating on Jesse..._  
"Jake..." She spoke softly, regrettably attempting to stop his kisses, though it only urged him on more. "Jake stop..."  
Slowly, Jacob came to, and stopped kissing her neck. Their foreheads were pressed together and their eyes gazed deeply into one another.  
"What's wrong Eve...?" Jacob sighed out contently, kissing her lips quickly once more.  
As his lips left hers, she reconnected them before answering. "I can't be kissing you."  
"Then why do you keep kissing me?" He smirked, kissing her again and getting the same reaction he did before.  
She stared into his eyes, licking her lips hungrily before smiling in realization. "Because I_want_to kiss you..." Her voice trailed off as she was sucked into another wave of pleasure by Jacob's moist lips.  
"Good," Jacob replied through one of the kisses. "Because I want you to, too."  
Eve could only think of one thing before her senses left her completely...  
_Screw commitment..._


	12. Chapter 12

**Twelve**

Eve stretched in her bed, sighing contently as she slowly woke up from her dream world and entered reality. The first thing that came into her mind caused a smile to break out on her small lips, and lightly laugh to herself.

She licked her lips and could still feel them—Jacob's own pair of lips—on her own. Touching them delicately, her grin grew as she felt a tingling sensation erupt at her fingertips.

Eve was still in slight shock at what had happened last night, and also at herself. She was surprised that something like that had occurred—who could've predicted something like that?—and she was astonished that_she_had been the one to start it.

Slowly, she sat up straight in bed, letting herself wake up even more. She rubbed her eyes and then let out a silent yawn, relaxing on her soft bed.

_That kiss was so much different than the ones I have with Jesse... _Eve mentally concluded. _It was so much better. It was so much more... exciting._

Eve laughed at her choice of words. Of course it was exciting. She had cheated on Jesse with Jacob. She had _cheated_. Wasn't cheating supposed to make you feel like that... or was it just something she had made up in her mind?

Either way... Eve loved feeling the simple thrill of it.

She loved the thought of possibly getting caught.

_Jacob's a much better kisser than Jesse, too._

Eve grinned goofily to herself and chuckled, not believing she was comparing the two boys. Jacob's kisses were so much more romantic and erotic at the same time. Was it even _possible_...?

Well, Eve had thought that her cheating on someone was impossible, and last night she had proved herself wrong, so who was to say that Jacob's kisses being so unimaginably lascivious was impossible?

No one.

There was a knock on her door and she snapped out of her day dreaming state. "Yeah?" She called.

Jesse waltzed into the room, a smile on his lips, and looking fresh. "Morning, Eve, how'd you sleep last night?"

She stiffened up a bit, and tried to keep her cool. He couldn't possibly know what had gone on only a few doors down the hall. "Pretty good," She shrugged. "You?"

"I think it was the best sleep I've gotten here so far." He grinned, sitting down onto the bed and pulling her into his lap. Jesse kissed her lips softly, and for a moment, she felt like his feelings for her were actually coming through.

However, as he kissed her, that euphoria Jacob's lips had left on her own was now fading quickly, leaving her with nothing.

Jesse pulled away, kissing her forehead quickly before pulling her into his chest lovingly, hoping that he would swoon her just a little bit. Last night he had done his homework. He was looking for good moves to put on Eve so he could impress her and make up for yesterday's mess. He wanted to make her see that he could be "romantic" for her. All the places he had looked over told him to act like he was in one of those cheesy romance movies where the guy is sweet and charming.

Jesse could be that.

That's what his acting lessons were for.

"I helped your mom downstairs, and she's waiting for you." He spoke, running his hand through her silky smooth, black hair. "She asked me to wake you up and to tell you to get dressed quickly."

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know, she didn't tell me." Jesse whispered into Eve's ear.

Eve sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll be down in 20 minutes or so."

"Okay, take your time." Jesse got up, kissed Eve's cheek tenderly, and then walked out of the room with a small smile, thinking that he may just have a chance at keeping her under his thumb.

Eve got up as soon as Jesse left the room and grabbed new clothes from her drawers and closet. She power walked into the bathroom, started up a warm shower and got in seconds after it was the right temperature. Eve speedily cleansed herself and was soon stepping out with a towel wrapped around her waist. After quickly dressed and blow drying her hair, she was rushing down the stairs to see her mom and Jesse watching a random television show.

"I'm ready, sorry I took a while."

"Oh Eve, you only took 15 minutes." Darla smiled lovingly at her daughter who gave her a warm hug. "You look gorgeous."

"I would use the word stunning, Ms. Blair." Jesse commented smoothly.

"He's right," Darla looked at her Eve and smiled. "You look stunning."

"Thanks," Her eyes darted to both Darla and Jesse before they returned back to her mom. "So, what's going on, mom?"

"I got a phone call from Emily, and she invited us over for breakfast. Hope you two don't mind, but I haven't seen them in a while!"

"Not at all, Ms. Blair." Jesse replied.

"Yea, it sounds fun, mom. This'll be Jesse's first time meeting everyone."

"Ooh, really?" Darla was intrigued and couldn't help but smile deviously. "Well isn't he in for a real... _treat_."

They all walked out of the house and got into the Yukon, Jesse. Jesse then followed Eve's instructions on how to get to the Uley residence, and arrived within about five minutes. That was one of the good things about La Push, the commutes were small.

Jesse opened the door for Darla and Eve, and walked in himself, looking around the room to find nothing but towering Native Americans. He felt intimidated, although he did his best to conceal it, and mentally told himself that he was better than these people, boosting his confidence.

"Darla!" Emily shouted and rushed over to meet Eve's mother in a welcoming and warm embrace. "I'm so happy that everything is alright! I was so worried for you!"

"Oh yes, I'm very much alive, Emily." Darla stated. "And thank you for being so concerned."

"Well, it seems that I have a new wheelchair buddy, don't I, Darla?" Billy Black joked.

"It seems that way, Billy,"

"Well, now that everyone is here, why don't we sit down and eat? Sam, honey, help me set the table?" Emily grinned innocently at her fiancé, who only replied with a small kiss on the lips and they both entered the kitchen, returning with a few plates and such.

Eve noticed someone in particular and went to them. "Come with me," She insisted, dragging them along by the wrist joyfully. "Mom," Eve began, smiling down at Darla. "This is Dylan Saunder's, she's Joanne's daughter and my new step-sister."

"Oh yes, it's an honor to finally meet, you dear." Darla smiled sincerely at Dylan and extended her hand out for her to shake.

"You, too, Mrs. Blair."

"Oh, no, honey, it's just _Miss_." Darla stated sweetly. "How is your mother?"

As Dylan began to reply to Darla, Eve's eyes began to wander, soon connecting with a pair of dark, chocolate ones that made her heart race with purpose. She couldn't control the smile that came about and it grew when he smiled back at her.

She couldn't believe the effect Jacob had over her.

It was supernatural in a way...

"Alright, everybody, take a seat." Emily announced.

Chairs scooting out on the hardwood floor sounded in the room and everyone sat down. Jesse sat on Eve's right, while Darla sat on her left. Jacob was sitting on the opposite side of Eve, making eye contact between the two of them impossible to break.

Everyone began to serve themselves and chatter began to sound.

"So when do you have to go back to the hospital, Darla?" Billy questioned.

"Not sure Billy, they have to call me to set up an appointment." She said. "Eve's going to be taking care of me for the time being."

"And Eve," Eve looked up to see Emily's light and cheerful brown eyes gazing into her own. "If you ever need any help or anything at all, just give me a call. I'd love to help you out!"

Eve smiled sincerely. "I will, Emily, thank you."

Eve served herself a second serving and received shocked looks from Dylan. Dylan didn't say anything, however, she watched her little step-sister with interest. Dylan couldn't believe how oblivious Eve was about her calorie intake. She would gain back everything she had lost if she wasn't careful...!

Eve went for another serving of scrambled eggs and she couldn't help it. "You're going for _thirds_, Eve?"

Unaware of the situation, Eve stopped mid-reach for the spoon, staring at her sister in shock. She hadn't even realized that this would be her third serving. The table went quiet and all eyes were on her. She began to blush lightly and quickly retracted her arm back.

"I... I didn't even realize..." She murmured, staring at her empty plate in disgust. She pushed it away from herself and Darla and Jacob were confused, even concerned about her reaction to what Dylan had said. "I'm finished."

Eve's ringtone began to blare from her pocket and she stood up. "I'm going to go take this, excuse me." She announced quietly, still ashamed for what she had done.

She walked outside of the house and towards where the tree line began, sitting against the tree on the floor. She quickly answered the phone before it went into voice mail and put it up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Eve, it's dad."

"Oh, hi..." Eve was even more uncomfortable now. Everything that she had done when she left Beverly Hills came into her mind and she remembered how badly she had treated him.

"Honey, if you're worried about what happened earlier, it's all in the past. I admit, I was very out of line, and I apologize for it."

Eve smiled and nodded even though no one could see her. "It's alright dad, I guess I can understand. I was just upset that's all." She said. "Is there something you wanted?"

"Well, I've been trying to reach you on your work phone for the past few days, however, we just discovered that you left it in your room when you were leaving for Washington." He replied. "_Elle Indonesia _wants to do that photo shoot, remember?"

Eve's head buried itself into her hand. "I completely, forgot..." She mumbled. "But I can't leave, Dad. Mom needs me to take care of her."

"Oh no, I know that, Eve. I've told them that for personal reasons you can't travel far from home." He stated. "They've agreed to send someone out to Seattle to do the photo shoot. I was thinking that maybe you and your mom could go. I'm sure she'd love to see you do your job."

Eve grinned. Why hadn't she thought of that before...? "That's a great idea, dad. When are they sending him over?"

"I'll text you the details later when they fax me them. I've gotta go now, Eve, take care."

"Alright, bye, dad."

"Wait, Eve..." She paused and waited for her dad to continue. "Tell your mom... tell Darla I say to get better, alright?"

Eve felt her spirits become lifted and she laughed. "Of course, I will, dad. I love you."

"Love you, too, kiddo. Bye."

"Bye."

Eve got up from the ground and heard the door open and close. She looked up to see Jesse walking towards her.

"Who was it?" He inquired.

"My dad," She shrugged her shoulders, dismissing the matter. "Let's go back inside."

"Wait, Eve, there's something I want to tell you."

She stared at him, slightly perplexed at what he wanted. "Yes, Jesse?"

"I was originally going to tell you yesterday, but with everything that happened, it just didn't work out that way... but..." He paused and then smiled. "I'm going to be going back to Beverly Hills for a while so I can finish up my acting classes. I'm going to call you everyday, and I'm going to make sure that you know that I love you." He kissed her forehead and let his arms wrap around her small body protectively. "Then when I come back, we'll continue to improve our relationship. It'll be great, Eve."

"How long...?"

"Well, I'm going to try to come back every two weeks or so, so that way we'll be able to still see each other." He explained. "It'll probably take me about two or three months total."

"Alright, Jesse..." She nodded. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow."

From inside the house, Jacob was sitting at the table listening to their conversation with his sensitive hearing.

_Well, Jesse, it's time to level the playing field._


	13. Chapter 13

Thirteen

The roars that came from numerous planes as they took off into the midday sky, along with the intercom that announced incoming and boarding liners filled the air, made Eve feel like she was back in Los Angeles with all the hustle and bustle.

Jesse's hand was holding Eve's delicately, though had a firm enough grip to let her know that he wasn't planning on letting it go anytime soon. They walked silently down the terminals together, and Eve felt like it was taking far too long.

When she woke up this morning, she thought that she'd simply walk him to his gate, say goodbye, and be on her merry way. When he began walking slowly, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of slight annoyance. She wanted to be home with her mom, maybe even Jacob if she could.

_I wonder what he's doing?_ She thought curiously to herself. _Maybe he's running more errands._

She reluctantly shrugged off the idea of seeing him again and continued to walk with her boyfriend to his gate. They arrived after another five torturous minutes, and as they arrived, the intercom went off announcing that his plane would be ending the boarding process in a few minutes.

Jesse turned Eve towards him and he smiled down at her. "I'm gonna miss you so much, Eve. You can't even comprehend." He said, putting a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"I'm gonna miss you, too, Jesse."

"I'll try to call or text you every day. I don't know when I'll have a long enough break to talk, but I'll definitely try."

"It's fine, I understand. School's important." Eve nodded quickly, just wanting to get things over with and head home. "I hope that you'll do good."

Jesse grinned and kissed Eve's lips. She kissed him back for a few seconds and then pulled away, not liking to kiss him in public.

"Goodbye, Jesse."

"Bye, babe. I love you."

Eve laughed uneasily, and the intercom went off again, announcing the final call for passengers. "You better hurry or they'll leave without you!" She joked. Jesse nodded before kissing her forehead one last time and walking away and out of sight.

_It felt like he'd never leave..._

Eve began to walk out of Port Angeles Airport and into the parking structure. She got into the Yukon and started the car, playing some of her favorite songs from her iPod and then embarked on the journey home.

To make the long car ride go faster, she sang along to the songs that were on shuffle and danced a little as she drove. People in neighboring cars stared, though she didn't care. She'd probably never see them again, so what did she care if she made a complete fool out of herself? She was enjoying it, so she did as she pleased.

As she had hoped, the car ride went by quickly, and was pulling up to her home, feeling content and also excited as she noticed the red Volkswagen Rabbit parked in front.

Eve got out of the car with haste and made her way into the home with a smile. She immediately noticed the large tanned boy who was sitting comfortably on the couch with a bag of Lays Chips and a random television show.

"Well, I see you've made yourself comfortable," Eve noted, closing the door behind herself and joining him on the couch.

"Yup, your mom ordered me to." He replied with a grin.

"Where is she?" Eve questioned, looking around the room.

"Emily came by and took your mom to her house so they could have a nice chat." Jacob explained, turning the T.V. off to look at Eve directly. "She should be back later in the evening."

"Oh, alright." Eve relaxed into the couch and was leaned up against Jacob's large shoulder. Her skin slightly tingled and it was perfect in her mind. "So what are we going to do?"

"I was hoping you'd ask that," He chuckled, and stood up from the couch, causing Eve to lie down completely on the sofa.

"Should I be worried...?" She mumbled.

Jacob ignored her question and began to explain. "You left La Push, and have to go through initiation."

"Initiation...?" She eyed him in confusion. "Sorry Jake, but I don't remember going through initiation when I was born here."

"Yea well... too bad, you're going through it."

"You make it sound like a mid-life crisis or something." she laughed. "What does this 'initiation' entail?"

"You have to wait and see. Just go grab a swim suit." He ordered.

With a content sigh, she was helped up and sent off to her room. She closed the door behind herself and looked through her drawers for herswimsuit. After finding and slipping it on, she got into some denim shorts and a black tank top.

Eve walked back downstairs with some sandals in her hands and saw Jacob patiently waiting for her on the couch, standing up when he saw her walk into the living room. "You ready?" He asked.

"Yea, I guess..." She shrugged.

The two of them walked out of the house, Eve walked towards the cars and Jacob headed towards the woods.

"Um... weren't we going to drive...?" Eve asked.

Jacob shook his head in reply. "Nah, the beach isn't too far from here. C'mon, hurry up." Eve ran to him and he took her hand in his, making her heart speed up with excitement. As they walked into the trees, Jacob stopped. "Climb on my back."

"What for?"

"You walk too slow, we'll get there faster if you let me do all the walking." He smiled.

Eve rolled her eyes before mounting Jacob's back. Jacob grabbed her thighs and made sure he had a tight grip before continuing to walk towards the beach. Eve got comfy and nestled her head into the crook of his neck, and let her arms drape over his chest. She had never felt so at peace before...

"Don't fall asleep on me now," Jacob chuckled.

"I'm not... I'm just relaxing."

"So I'm _that _comfy, am I?"

"Pretty much,"

"Good to know."

It only took around five minutes to reach the beach. The smell of the salty mist that surrounded both Eve and Jacob made her calm and collected. She felt like she could fall into a slumber effortlessly.

"You can get off my back now, Eve." Jacob said.

She moaned softly and let out a yawn. "I'm too comfortable now."

Jacob sighed, but she knew that he was pleased with her reply. "I didn't want to have to do this, but..."

Jacob released her thighs and she immediately secured her arms around his neck, bringing him down along for the ride with an groan of surprise from him. They laughed together when they landed upon the sand side by side and Jacob grinned at her deviously.

"I honestly didn't expect that. I didn't land on you, did I?"

"No, I wouldn't be alive if you did." Eve joked playfully. "So what are we doing at the beach?"

"Initiation; just follow me."

Eve was helped up from the ground and the two of them began to ascend a hill, and as they reached the top, she noticed that they were at a cliff. Immediately butterflies erupted inside her stomach and she grew uneasy as he brought her towards the end of the ground they stood upon.

"Your initiation... is jumping off the cliff." Jacob smirked at her, though it fell when he noticed how tense she was. "Eve... is something wrong?"

"Um... I kinda have a thing about heights." She murmured, looking at Jacob to distract her.

"Eve you get on airplanes and you're afraid of heights?"

"Well... yea, sometimes you can only get to places by flying, and besides... it's faster. This is going to sound weird, but I'm only really afraid when I'm actually on the edge. If I'm on a plane, I'm fine. I just try not to sit at the window. When I'm on edge, I just kinda feel vulnerable." She explained, soon chuckling to herself softly. "I know, it's really stupid—"

"No, it's not, Eve. It's understandable." Jacob smiled and pulled her towards him and away from the edge. "You don't have to jump. I'm not making you. I just thought that you might have liked it."

As she was held in his arms, in his protective and caring grasp, she didn't feel anything. She could no longer discern the fear she was just drowning in seconds earlier. She could only discern the warmth that was emitted off Jacob's body, and the sense of reassurance she received while next to him.

It made her feel invincible.

"C'mon, let's go back down to the beach."

"Jake..." Jacob turned to her curiously and waited for her to continue. "I wanna jump... with _you_."

"Eve, are you sure? I don't want you to do something you don't wanna do just because of me."

"I _want_ to _jump_ with_you_." She enunciated, a small smile working it's way upon her small lips.

"Alright..." Jacob replied with a nod, and took her hand tightly in his own. "We'll get a running start. But you're absolutely sure, right?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Eve then turned her back towards Jacob and pulled her tank top over her head. She slipped her denim shorts off as well as her sandals before turning back to face him. His eyes were lustful, but concealed their emotion immediately.

"Ready?" He asked, extending his hand out for her to take.

"As I'll ever be..." She took his hand with a death grip at which Jacob couldn't help but chuckle lightly at.

_Please don't let this be a bad idea..._ Eve pleaded with herself.

Eve and Jacob sprinted to the edge and jumped off, flying through the air for a split second before free falling towards the ocean below. Eve's heart pounded like a wrecking ball in her chest, and her eyes were shut tightly, not wanting to see what was coming. Eve was engulfed by heat and her eyes opened to see Jacob had his arms wrapped around her small body to let her know that she was going to be safe with him.

They collided with the bone chilling water and it hit her like a brick wall. All the air escaped her and she couldn't think straight. Large hands took hold of her arms and she was pulled up to the surface.

"Eve, are you alright?" Jacob asked urgently, pulling her into his body. "Why are you crying are you hurt?"

Eve hadn't even realized that she was crying, until Jacob told her. "No... no, I'm fine. I was just so scared...!" She explained. "But I'm happy for getting over the height, too... thanks for making me go over the edge, Jake..." Jacob chuckled and brought Eve into his chest. Eve wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head into the crook of it, soon mumbling into it, "But I will _never _do that again for _any _reason."

"I promise, I'll never make you do it again, Eve." Jacob said. "C'mon, let's swim back to the beach."

Jacob voluntarily swum to the sandy shore with Eve hanging onto his back. He enjoyed it thoroughly. The touch of her baby soft skin on his was like nothing else before, it relaxed him, it rejuvenated him, and it made him want to do anything in the world for her. Her soft breaths upon his neck made him realize how close they were. Jacob knew it wouldn't be much longer until she realized that she was with the wrong guy and she went into his arms.

_Not much longer... _He smirked to himself.

They reached land once again and Eve and Jacob sat down on the sand. Eve played with the sand beneath her by wiggling her toes and letting the small minerals cascade through her fingers.

"Enjoying yourself?" Jacob asked, staring at her contently with a smile.

"Very much so." She replied. "You?"

"Most fun I've had in a while."

Eve sighed complacently and leaned back, using her elbows to keep herself propped up. "I'm kinda glad that Jesse's back in Beverly Hills now, he's such a..." Eve tried think of a fitting word when Jacob interrupted.

"Pain in the ass?"

"I was going to say an annoyance, but that's another way to put it."

"Eve, you don't look happy when you're with him... so why are you? Isn't your boyfriend supposed to make you _happy_?"

"Yea, but... I don't know. I mean, we're trying to make things better between the two of us. Besides, if I just dumped him without even trying... I'd feel like everything we went through was a waste of time."

"Eve, it'll be a bigger waste of time if you let yourself go through with this any longer. You won't be happy."

Eve stared at the waves that toppled over one another and ran a hand through her hair. "Jake... I don't think I should be talking about this with you."

Jacob was stunned when she had said so. He only wanted to help her. He wanted to make her happy. Why was she so resistant and unwilling to listen?

"Don't get me wrong, Jake. I value your opinion, but... there are some things that aren't meant to be shared with other people. This is my relationship with Jesse and I just want to decide things fairly with him here than while he's off in California. I don't want to make the final decision without his input."

Jacob was slightly amazed at how thoughtful Eve was, especially to someone as self-centered and shallow as Jesse. He couldn't imagine how she ever fell for someone like him in the first place. However, her thoughtfulness seemed to draw Jacob in more, and he couldn't help but fall for her that much harder.

"I understand. You're a nice person, Eve." He spoke sincerely.

Eve smiled gratefully at him and Jacob pulled her into a hug. "Wanna head back home? It's already late in the afternoon."

"Sure, wanna stay for dinner?"

"I probably was anyway." He joked, helping Eve get to her feet.

"Oh crap,"

"What, is something wrong?"

"No, it's just... my clothes are still on the top of the cliff." She giggled, pointing from the spot where they had jumped from moments earlier.

He shook his head with a genuine smile before walking away. "Stay here, I'll go and get them. Be back in a few minutes."

"Alright, thanks."

Eve got comfortable on the sand and watched Jacob vanish from sight as he wandered into the trees and up the mountain. She sighed as she immediately got bored without company. She waited for a few minutes before she heard rustling from the trees and bushes and could imagine Jacob coming out of them. She smiled and looked over to find no one in sight, though her tank top and shorts sat neatly folded on the ground.

She grinned deviously. _I bet he's trying to scare me..._ She thought and slowly stood up to check her surroundings.

Jacob was near the top of the mountain and a scent caught his attention. It made his hairs stand on end and a snarl rip from his throat. He felt the urge to shift into his more dangerous self, one that might change everything since Eve was nearby.

_Eve...! I need to know she's alright!_

He knew that sprinting back down the hill would take a while, and so he sprinted up towards the cliff. He came to a halt at the edge and could barely make out her small self on the beach, sitting where he had told her to stay.

He let out a sigh of relief, though he was still on edge. He looked around for her clothes and noticed they were out of sight... something had moved them.

Perhaps even _someone_...

Jacob's eyes darted back to Eve who was now standing and walking towards the trees, where she soon became out of sight.

_Don't go in there...!_ He pleaded mentally.

Without wasting time, he sprinted off the edge and back down into the water, fighting the current as he swam towards the beach.

Eve headed towards her clothes that were neatly folded and picked them up. "Jake, you there…?" She called out. There was more rustling in response to her call, and she chuckled before heading deeper into the trees. "Jake, c'mon out already. I know it's you."

She walked into a clearing and let her eyes look everywhere, scanning the area for any sign of Jacob.

"Eve!"

Eve spun around and saw the large teenage boy sprinting into the clearing, soaked to the bone and panting hard. "You're really bad at this whole 'hiding' thing, aren't you?" She questioned, meeting him halfway.

He enveloped her in a hug, squeezing her tightly. "I told you to stay put, Eve."

"What and let you scare me?" She scoffed. "As if. I know you put my clothes on the rock so you could see if I'd be frightened and scream."

Jacob stared at her in confusion, and his expression then turned into one of hatred. He couldn't believe that leech had tried to lure her away from him...! The simple thought made him go crazy inside, with images of tearing him to shreds and burning the remains.

He had gotten so close to her... _so_ close...!

And Jacob Ephraim Black would not let him have that opportunity again.

He'd do anything and everything in his power to keep her away from that bloodsucker, to keep her safe and alive.

"Yea... you're right. I tried to scare you."

"Looks like you need to get better then. I totally saw it coming." Eve laughed. "C'mon, let's go home so I can make dinner."

Eve put her clothes over her slightly damp swimsuit and got onto Jacob's back like he had ordered. As they headed back home, Jacob told her to never take the shortcut to the beach without him or one of the guys along with her, claiming that something bad could happen at any given moment.

"You know... I'm not a weakling, Jake."

"I know... it's just that I'd feel better about it you know?"

Eve thought it was cute that he cared about her. It made her tighten her grasp around his neck subconsciously, and she felt her heart race faster.

"Alright, I'll make sure to take one of the guys with me if you're not around."

"Good."

"Hey, Jake?"

"Hmm...?"

"This morning, my dad told me that I'd have work tomorrow."

"Work?"

"Meaning my modeling. The magazine that I'll be doing the photo shoot for is sending a photographer out to Seattle and I was thinking of taking my mom along. Do you wanna come, too?" She inquired. "I mean, I just think it'll be nice to get out of La Push and you know that I don't like driving the Yukon."

"Alright, alright... you don't have to make up any more excuses, I'll go." Jacob cockily replied with a smirk.

"Shut up, now you're uninvited."

"You can't _un_invite me...!"

"Just did."

"I can run with you on my back to the cliff and push you off."

"You're re-invited!"

They shared a laugh and soon made it back home. Billy, Embry, Dylan, and Darla were watching television, and Jacob helped Eve make dinner for everyone.

_I could get used to Jesse being gone..._ Eve concluded with a small smile.


	14. Chapter 14

**Fourteen**

Eve sat up in bed tiredly, yawning and rubbing her eyes as she reached for her cell phone that was still ringing it's morning alarm. "It's too loud..." She mumbled, taking a quick peek at the time that read 4:45 AM. "And way too early..."  
After pressing "Stop", she collected herself and got out of bed at her own pace. She grabbed a hair band from her nightstand and pulled her hair back into a tight pony tail.  
Eve wandered down the hallway and into the bathroom, flicking on the light and closing the door after her, making sure it was locked. The first thing she did was splash some water onto her face, waking herself up more than she already was. Eve grabbed a small hand towel and dried off her face soon after.  
Eve glanced at the toilet and sauntered over to it, lifting up the lid. She grabbed her toothbrush from the drawer and took it out from it's container, kneeling down in front of the toilet.  
_"Eve, honey, don't you want more? You only served yourself one helping, and even_that_wasn't much." Darla inquired._  
_"No, I'm fine mom. I'm not hungry anymore." Eve replied reassuringly, though deep down she knew that she wanted another serving._  
I can't take another, I have a shoot tomorrow._Eve reminded herself._  
_"Please, honey? It'd make me feel much better." Darla smiled at her daughter._  
Dammit,_Eve cursed, knowing that she'd have no choice but to oblige._  
_Eve was then served the last helping by Jacob and she stared at the food with reluctance. Her eyes glanced over at Dylan who was staring right back at her. Hesitantly, Eve reached for her fork and lifted it up above the plate. She was about to cut into the Lasagna, but was stopped by Dylan._  
_"Hey Eve, I'm still kinda hungry would you mind splitting with me because you have the last piece?"_  
Thank God!_Eve mentally cried._  
_"Sure, Dyl," Eve then obliged immediately, putting more than half onto her plate._  
_Dylan was happy that she could help her sister keep it off, but now_she_had the problem of eating all this fattening food. Dylan Saunders had never been one pound over weight in her life, and she planned on keeping it that way._  
_Eve ate what was on her plate quickly and Dylan ate most of the food before spooning it into Embry's mouth lovingly. Needless to say, Embry was quite happy to be fed by his imprint._  
_The rest of the night, Eve knew that Jacob and Darla stared at her funny for being so reluctant to eat. She knew that she couldn't let them find out about her not wanting to eat for weight. Eve knew that if she did, they'd go ballistic._  
_When she thought about it, she was more worried about how_Jacob_would react instead of her own mother..._  
Eve sighed as she stared into the toilet bowl, calming her raging nerves by taking deep breaths. She opened her mouth and pushed the tip of the toothbrush towards her Uvula. Immediately she began to gag, coughing up a storm. She wasn't going to give up so easily though. She did it again and after another short coughing fit, she was throwing up into the bowl.  
"Honey... honey, are you alright?"  
Eve's eyes widened as she heard Darla's voice. Tears swelled up in her eyes as she began crying. She couldn't believe her mom had found her like this. When she had stopped regurgitating into the toilet, she grabbed toilet paper, wiped her mouth and threw it into the small crash can along with her toothbrush. Eve flushed the toilet while still hearing her mom ask her if she was fine.  
After coughing a few more times, sickened by the stench of vomit, she answered. "Yea, I'm fine, mom. Don't worry."  
After she had flushed it, she unlocked and opened the door to see Darla there with a worried expression. "You just threw up, Eve, how can you be 'fine'?"  
"I am mom, don't worry. I just think that Lasagna last night didn't sit well with me, that's all."  
"Eve, you've had that same lasagna since you could chew. Why would it affect you now?"  
Eve shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know; or maybe it could've been the cold water yesterday when Jacob and I were at the beach."  
"Well, if you're feeling sick, why don't you just cancel the photo shoot today? I'm sure that you can reschedule."  
"Mom, I can't reschedule. That's very unprofessional." Eve sighed, turned towards the sink and washing her hands.  
"Your health is more important than any job, Eve. Even you have to know that."  
Those words struck her like a wrecking ball._Apparently not..._She concluded.  
"Mom, I'm sure that everything will be fine later on today." Eve reassured. "Don't worry. C'mon, let's go back to bed and get some sleep before we have to wake up again."  
Darla sighed before agreeing and heading off to her own room again with Eve helping her every step of the way. Eve headed back into the bathroom and got out a new toothbrush from one of the packages below the sink and was then brushing away the stench and taste of throw up.  
Eve returned to her room within minutes and relaxed on her bed. She stared at her ceiling, thoughts racing through her mind. She was still scared at how close she was to being found out. Her mom was already physically worn out, she didn't need to put the burden of Eve's secret on top of her shoulders and tire her out mentally. That was the last thing she wanted.  
_I gotta be more careful next time._Eve thought, getting under the covers._No one can know, only Dylan._She got as comfortable as she could in her bed, but knew that no sleep would come for her...  
A few hours later at around 6:30, she rose from her bed. Doing her usual morning routine, she was soon out of the bathroom, her hair wet and stringy, deciding to let it air dry. She went into her mom's room to find her sitting up and staring out the window.  
"Morning mom,"  
"Morning Eve, do you feel any better?"  
"Much." Eve nodded enthusiastically.  
"That's good."  
"Mhm," Eve sauntered over to her mom's closet and picked out her clothes. "Here, I had these bought a few days ago."  
"What are you my fashion coordinator?" Darla chuckled.  
"In a way, yes, I am. Well… for today at least." She replied. "Now get up and get dressed, we have a big day today."  
Eve left the room to give Darla her privacy, and headed into the kitchen. She got out pans, setting them atop the stove as the fire sprang up on top. She got out the ingredients needed to make pancakes, remembering that Jacob had made a special request for them before he left last night, and some eggs and bacon for her mom.  
When she was finishing up with Jacob's pancakes, the large, tanned boy himself sauntered into the house as if it were his own, and smiled when he saw her.  
"Morning, Eve," He greeted cheerily.  
Eve grinned from ear to ear before turning to face him. "Morning, Jake."  
"So what's going to happen today?"  
"Well, we'll drive over to Seattle, and meet up with the photographer. I'll go through my usual routine of make up and getting dressed. I'll do the shoot. And... then, we'll get something to eat, and head back home."  
"Sounds good." He nodded.  
Eve turned off the stove and served Jacob his food. He thanked her happily and dug into his perfectly cooked food. Darla then came inside the room and Eve served her as well. The two of them ate and Eve played around on her phone, waiting for them to finish.  
"Eve, aren't you going to eat?" Jacob inquired.  
"Hm...?" She looked up and noticed that her mom was also looking curious to know the answer. "No, I'll have something after the shoot."  
"Eve, that's not a very smart decision. Why don't you have something to eat?" Darla urged.  
_Why can't they just let it be...?_Eve thought in slight annoyance. "Mom, if I eat, it'll affect the way I look on camera."  
"That doesn't sound very realistic, Eve." Darla retorted.  
"Mom, I'm being serious. I'll eat right after we leave the shoot alright?"  
"Eve..."  
"Mom..."  
The two stared at each other, a sort of fire in their eyes. Neither Eve nor Darla was going to let this go. Jacob stared at the two opposing females before clearing his throat.  
"Eve...?"  
Her head snapped towards Jacob, the fire in her honey eyes becoming extinguished and a new sort of passion swelling up inside them. "Yeah?"  
"Just take a few bites to hold you over for the ride."  
It sounded reasonable. And Eve considered it greatly, however, she couldn't believe that she was considering it because_he_was the one who had suggested it.  
"I guess..." She mumbled quietly.  
"Jacob, you can come over whenever you'd like if you can get her to do that." Darla stated.  
"Thanks, Darla."  
Eve was then fed a few bites of pancake by Jacob, who had scooted closer to Eve to do so. Eve liked that he was doing it for her. It made her feel special. It made her feel like he truly cared for her. She knew that he did care for her to an extent, she just didn't know how far that extent was.  
Darla watched the two teenagers with adoration. It reminded her of herself and Evan, Eve's father, and how life was for them before she was pregnant. It made her smile as she continued to eat.  
_I only hope that things work out for the two of them and that everything's perfect._Darla thought.  
After Eve stopped letting Jacob feed her, with much reluctance, the three of them got into the car and began the three hour trip to Seattle, Washington.  
The car ride to their destination was a nice and peaceful one. Darla, who sat in the backseat, had reclined her chair and took a light nap while listening to her iPod that Eve had gotten for her as a gift. That left Jacob and Eve to not worry about Darla eavesdropping on their conversations.  
"So do you know what you're going to do for your photo shoot?"  
"Not exactly, but most photo shoots are always the same, so I kind of have a good idea." Eve shrugged her shoulders, relaxing back into the chair. "I'll probably have a few different outfits to change into, pose differently, answer a few questions about my job, what's next for me, and my love life."  
That caught Jacob's attention right away.  
"What are you going to say?"  
"Well, I'm going to say that my job is—"  
"No... not your job..." He interrupted. "About your love life."  
Eve was silent, not sure about what he wanted to hear at the moment. "Well..." She began, unsure of herself. "I'm going to say that Jesse and I are going strong. What else_can_I say?"  
"A lot." He muttered.  
"Jake... I can't do that. It's not that simple. If I say that we're going through a rough spot, they'll make a big fuss about it and send out people to snoop around and see what they can dig up on our relationship." Eve explained. "Then when they see how close they are, people will start talking about me and how I'm cheating on Jesse with you. They'll say that we're a couple and—"  
"Eve, first off... you kissed me. So you_did_cheat on Jesse with me." Jacob argued, becoming frustrated. "Secondly, is it really_that_bad to think about us being together as a couple?"  
"Jake, I know that I cheated on Jesse with you. And... I_don't_regret it one bit. Really... I don't." Eve sighed, feeling much better for getting that off her chest. "But if the media finds out about that... then my career might be over. No one wants to hire someone like that. They want people with good images and good reputations. And cheating isn't exactly smiled upon."  
Jacob stayed silent as he listened to her words.  
"And if that mini-rant hasn't given it away by now, the idea of being_with_you... is something that I would really want."  
"Then why can't you just dump Jesse and we'll be together...?" Jacob asked, turning to face her with betrayed eyes. "Eve, he doesn't deserve someone like you. You're too good for him."  
"Jake... like I told you yesterday, I want to talk things over with Jesse." She stated. "If something happens... you'll be first on my list."  
"I don't want to be the first person on your list, Eve. I wanna be the_only_person on your list."  
Eve swallowed and stared into his dark brown pools before looking away. "So far... you are the only one on the list." She smiled delicately.  
Jacob grinned and took her hand in his, kissing the backside of it and keeping hold of it for the rest of the ride.  
They drove by the building that the photo shoot would be held in and entered the parking garage, finding a spot in no time and walking inside. Eve told the receptionist in the lobby who she was and what she was there for and the three of them were told what floor to go to.  
The elevator dinged as the three of them reached the floor and walked down the hallway into the room that was told to Eve by the secretary.  
"Eve, mio caro!"  
Eve grinned happily at the familiar voice and looked up to see Alex, the photographer that had shot her last shoot for_Elle Italia_. She ran up and gave him a warm hug.  
"How have you been, Alex?"  
"Well, Eve, very well." He smiled contently. "Yourself?"  
"About the same. I didn't expect to see you again."  
"Oh? I thought you knew. I'm the official photographer for most of the_Elle_issues."  
"No, I didn't know that. Congratulations, though."  
"Grazie, mio caro." He leaned in and kissed both her cheeks softly. "Now, why don't you go ahead and run along into make-up and wardrobe so we can get this show on the road, hmm?"  
"Sure thing, I'll be out in a few."  
Eve told Darla and Jacob, who looked like he was ready to punch someone's lights out, to sit down onto some chairs not too far from the set. They did as they were told and watched Eve go through the process.  
She first went to make up where they lightly applied the basics, adding some daring eyeshadow to make her honey eyes pop. Soon after make up, she was escorted to her dressing room and began to change into her clothes for the first shots. She exited and walked over to set where everyone was ready.  
"Mio caro, are you ready?"  
"Yes, I am." Eve nodded.  
She stood in front of a light blue background and fans began to whirl, sending her combed hair into a frenzy, the strands flying around her face perfectly.  
"Ah, Eve, I've never seen someone more beautiful than you!" Alex gushed, looking through his camera, snapping shots occasionally. She smiled and laughed infectiously, making everyone around her smile.  
…All except Jacob.  
He couldn't smile while the photographer was talking to her so sweetly. He wanted to punch him directly in the face, yell at him for talking to her in a way that only_he_should be. Jacob believed that this guy was trying to make a move on Eve, and he wasn't going to let that happen.  
He wasn't going to let him earn a spot on her list.  
"Play with your hands, mio caro! Enjoy yourself!"  
Eve did as she was told with a dazzling white smile. She lifted her hands up to her face and peeked through her fingers at the camera as if she were playing hide-n-seek with a child.  
"That's it...!" Alex yelled. "We've gotten our cover."  
Eve was then rushed back to wardrobe where she changed into another outfit and her make-up was retouched. After five more changes in wardrobe, the shoot was finished.  
"Eve, mio caro, your shots come out greater each time. You grow more beautiful by the second." Alex stated, making Eve blush lightly.  
"Thank you, Alex, but a model is nothing without a brilliant photographer behind the camera."  
"You are too sweet, Eve."  
_I can't take this anymore..._Jacob groaned inwardly.  
He rose from his chair, telling Darla he'd be back in a second before walking towards the two of them. "Eve, can I talk with you?"  
"Sure, Jake. Excuse me for a minute, Alex?"  
"Certainly, Eve, take as long as you need."  
With that, Jacob took hold of her hand and led her away from him with haste. "What's up with that guy? Does he like you or something?"  
"Alex?"  
"Yes, Alex."  
"No..." Eve stared at him weirdly before chuckling lightly. "I helped him meet his current_boyfriend_, Jacob. He doesn't like girls. I'm sorry, I should've told you earlier."  
"Oh..." Jacob felt both relieved and embarrassed at that moment. "Sorry, he was just telling you things so I thought he liked you or something." He mumbled under his breath.  
"No, trust me." She shook her head with a small smile. "He likes guys. C'mon, let's go back there and I'll introduce you."  
Jacob wrapped an arm around Eve's shoulders and they both walked back. Jacob smiled contently, now knowing that no one else was on the list...

It was only him...


	15. Chapter 15

**Fifteen**

Eve could feel nothing, but bliss.

Jacob's lips against her own felt so right. The feel of it caused goose bumps to erupt on her tanned, silky smooth skin, and the hairs on her neck to stand on end.

She moaned softly into one of the kisses as Jacob began to lay down on her bed, pulling her along for the ride. She straddled his hips comfortably and kept her hands on his shirtless chest. Her eye were closed as she let her fingers run over his few abs, using her imagination to create how they looked in her mind.

Eve pulled away from his lips reluctantly, smiling down at him. He grinned back at her, moving a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "God... you're so beautiful, Eve." He mumbled in awe.

She giggled lightly and began to kiss his neck, sucking and biting a few areas, getting a small grunt of pleasure from him every once in a while.

Jacob's eyes were half open and a pleased smile plastered to his lips. He was thoroughly enjoying the feel of her lips on his skin. He couldn't think straight, her image was the only thing occupying his mind, and he loved that fact.

His hands that rested upon her hips sneakily moved to the front of her shirt, and played with the bottom hem. He wouldn't go farther than this, however. He didn't want to overstep his boundaries. After all, this_was_only their second time together like this.

"You can..." Eve mumbled through her kisses. "If you want to."

Jacob was stunned, but it made him happy. Not because she wanted him to do it, but because she trusted him. He was trustworthy in her eyes, and he loved knowing that.

A howl was heard from outside and Eve stopped, looking out her window.

_Shit..._ Jacob was conflicted. He knew that it was Embry or Quil calling for him to take his shift for patrol, though he didn't want to leave Eve. However, he also knew that if he didn't, he'd have both of them snapping at him for having to take care of his shift... _again_. Not only would they be angry, but Sam would surely get on his tail about it as well. _I've gotta do it. _He concluded.

"I've gotta go, Eve." He lifted her off his body and set her to the rest of the bed with ease. "My dad's expecting me to be home earlier than usual." He lied smoothly, kissing her lips before standing up and smiling down at her.

She gave a small grin, nodding in understanding. "Alright," She spoke softly. "Be safe driving home."

Jacob chuckled. "Always am, Eve."

Jacob waved goodbye to Eve as he climbed out the window and landed onto the ground with a thud, jogging off towards his car. He got in and started up the engine, driving off quickly towards his house to drop off his vehicle and begin his patrol.

As he met up with Quil and Embry, they told Jacob where to start his patrol. Jacob smiled seeing that his patrol would be around Eve's area that night.

Jacob was soon sprinting off towards Eve's home. He paused for a minute as he saw her bedroom light on. He could see her making sure the window was locked and getting her bed ready for bed.

Eve finished moving her comforters around her bed and then heard her cell's ringtone go off loudly. She picked it up and sighed before answering and putting it on speaker, being lazy and putting it onto the nightstand.

"Hey Jesse,"

"Hey, Eve, I've missed you so much, babe."

"Yea, same here."

"So what are you doing?"

"Getting ready for bed. I had a really tiring day." She answered, hoping he'd get the hint that she didn't want to talk at the moment.

"Oh, sorry to hear that, Eve. Guess what?"

She rolled her eyes before going along. "What?"

"My classes are going great. My teachers are impressed."

"That's great, Jesse." She replied, slightly happy for him.

"Yea, I know. Of course I knew I'd be good, I mean the others in the class are never going to get anywhere in life, let alone acting careers." He chuckled.

Eve grimaced at his cockiness. "Let's try and stay humble here, Jesse. You're not Johnny Depp material yet."

"Not _yet_, but I'm getting there." He retorted. "Anyways, I got you something. It should be arriving at your house pretty soon. I'd say maybe a day or two."

"Aw, thanks Jesse. That was really sweet of you."

"I know, right? Anyways, I'll talk to you later, babe. Gotta go." He said with a sigh. "I love you, Eve."

"I love you, too, Jesse." She replied, sticking her tongue out at the end in slight disgust. She never liked saying something that wasn't true.

Jacob growled lowly after Eve had hung up the phone. He was angry at Jesse. He was such a little suck up to her. Not to mention a complete cocky bastard. He knew for sure he'd never understand how the two of them ended up together...

Jacob couldn't believe that they were still a couple. Jacob couldn't believe that _Jesse_ was the one telling her "I love you", and not _him_. It was wrong. It didn't make sense. What upset Jacob even more was that Eve had said it back to him.

_Jake, I'm sure she didn't mean it. I mean, who would like that asswipe...?_ Jared stated, trying to cheer him up.

Jacob had totally forgotten that he was on patrol. He shook his head before continuing his rounds and softly agreeing with him.

As Jacob returned home that night he came to the conclusion he had been debating with himself about...

_I've gotta tell her. She has to know._ He looked in the mirror and chuckled. 

"It's either me or Jesse. I'm done keeping this a secret."


	16. Chapter 16

**Sixteen**

Eve inhaled the aroma of crisp bacon sizzling on the frying pan as she flipped them onto their uncooked side, a loud hiss sounding as the meat came into contact with the hot metal. She moved over to the scrambled eggs and was soon putting them onto a serving plate along with the bacon that was now finished.

Eve quickly made the hotcakes that she knew her mom would enjoy, and was soon placing them onto the table along with everything else. She poured a glass of orange juice and saw her mom walk into the kitchen, a small smile on her face.

"It smells great, Eve." She grinned.

Eve sat down at the table and poured herself her own glass of OJ. "Thanks, mom."

There was a knock at the door, followed by the doorbell ringing. Eve began to get up, but her mom told her otherwise. "No, sit. I'll get it." She ordered.

Eve did so and took her first bite out of the fluffy pancakes, savoring the flavor of the sweet maple syrup she had topped it with.

"Eve, honey, there's someone here to see you." Darla called.

Eve's heart pounded in her chest. A sort of giddiness exploding in her stomach as butterflies soon followed. _Jacob..._

She took a quick sip of her OJ to wash her food down before walking briskly to the door, passing her mom who looked slightly annoyed. Eve reached for the handle, twisting it and opening the door with a large grin.

"Jesse..." She sighed, forcing a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Well a few nights ago I told you that I was sending you a present, babe. I'm your present." He replied, kissing her lips for a few seconds. "I had a few days off school, so here I am."

"Oh, that's great." Eve laughed, though inside she was dreading what would happen next. "So... what're you going to do?" She asked awkwardly.

"Well," He began, a smirk rising on his lips. "I planned out our entire day. It's gonna be great."

Eve couldn't believe that he was just telling her that her day would be spent with him. It was like he had no interest in what she thought... which, she knew he probably didn't.

"Really?"

"Yeah, so get dressed and ready."

Eve glanced down at her casual jeans and band tee before grimacing. She was already dressed; did he really care about what she wore that much...?

_Why do I bother asking...?_

"I'll be out in a few."

Jesse attempted to enter the house, but Eve had slammed the door in his face before he was able to set a foot inside.

She had to admit, it felt good to do that.

Eve looked at her mom who was sitting down at the round table in the kitchen, eating the food she had cooked just moments ago. "Mom, Jesse and I are going out. Do you mind?"

"Nope," Darla answered, a small sigh following after. "Have fun, Eve."

Eve had been hoping that she would've wanted to spend some time together so she didn't have to go with Jesse, but Eve knew that she couldn't have everything. _Gotta roll with the punches..._ She told herself.

Eve headed upstairs and into her room, getting out some clothes that would be good for today. If she had to have a reason why going out with Jesse wouldn't be _quite _as bad, it would be the weather. Only a few white clouds hovered in the air, with a temperature that was just perfect in the low 80s. Eve finished off heroutfitwith a few accessories and got out one of her purses, stashing her wallet, iPod, cell phone, and anything else she thought would be needed for the day inside of it.

Eve told Darla goodbye and walked outside to find an irritated Jesse standing by his car that was now clean and looking brand new. A few days after his car had gotten wrecked with pranks, Jesse had called in a tow truck and had it hauled out to a body shop to be fixed up. Needless to say, the price wasn't pretty, but Jesse didn't care.

He looked over and saw her standing there, and his lips curved upwards in a smile. "You look hot, Eve." He walked towards her and kissed her lips hungrily before the two of them got into his vehicle and driving off.

_Let's just get this over with... _

Jacob searched through his dresser and found one of his black shirts, slipping it on and looking at himself in the mirror. He ruffled up his hair a bit, knowing that Eve liked it like that, and smiled as he then left his room. He walked out of his small red home and down the street towards Eve's.

He hadn't seen her since the night he had heard her conversation with Jerk-wad Jesse. He decided that since he had the day off from patrols, he would use that to his advantage. He would surprise her and sweep her off her feet, then he would tell her how he felt. Hopefully she would take his feelings for her into consideration and dump that Pretty Boy.

He saw the little yellow home in the distance and smiled, jogging up to it eagerly. "It's either me or Jesse." He said confidently.

He walked up the porch stairs and knocked on the door. He looked around his surroundings and it was peaceful, he wondered why it could never just stay like this.

"Jacob?" He turned to see Darla standing here with a curious gleam in her dark eyes.

"Oh, hello Darla," He smiled warmly. "Is Eve here?"

"Eve...? No..." She shook her head in confusion. "Didn't she tell you? Jesse came back today and took her out. She left about fifteen minutes ago. I'm sorry, Jacob."

Anger built up within him. "Oh. I see. Thank you for telling me. Goodbye, Darla." He replied lowly before stomping off the porch and down the dirt road.

His hands were balled into fists, his knuckles a chalk white, and his nails digging into his skin. He headed into the woods, deep inside. Once he reached a clearing, he let it all out.

He shifted, his clothes ripping in half as his larger form took shape. He imagined Jesse as being one of the trees and he went for it, clawing at it and somewhat uprooting it in the process.

_Jake... chill... she'll come around. No one can resist the power of imprinting._ Quil told him in an attempt to calm him down.

Jacob only grumbled before deciding to join his friend on his patrol shift. He needed to clear his mind, and trying to find a few wandering leeches could definitely take his mind off of the two of them, even if only for a little while...

Eve sat awkwardly in her seat as she watched the movie with Jesse, his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders as he brought her into his chest. Little did he know, it wasn't as romantic as he thought it was. The seat's armrest was digging itself into her side and bringing her small waves of pain.

_I wish I had just stayed home._

The day's events had consisted of going to Port Angeles and walking around aimlessly until noon. When they both grew hungry, they ate at a local diner and talked about Jesse and his classes. After paying the bill, they continued to aimlessly explore the small city and soon came to the conclusion that a movie was the best way to kill time.

So now here they were, sitting together in an empty theater, watching a romantic comedy...

This wasn't exactly Eve's definition of a "good time".

She began to zone out as she watched the film with little interest. Her mind wandered everywhere and soon landed upon him. _I wonder what Jake's doing right now...?_

She jumped in her seat as she felt Jesse's lips upon her neck, biting and sucking away on little areas. She blushed madly and looked around to see if anyone was seeing this as she tried to push him away.

"J-Jesse, stop it. Not here...!"

"Oh Eve, don't worry. No one's here."

"I _don't care_, Jesse. Not here!"

"Eve, we're alone. No one's watching, just enjoy it!"

"No, Jesse. Stop it!"

Jesse pushed his mouth onto hers and his hands traveled from her stomach upwards, until they reached her breasts, groping them. Eve's eyes burst open and yelped in surprise at what he had done. Using all her strength, she pushed him off, grabbed her bag from the seat beside her and practically ran out of the theater, leaving the building through one of the labeled exits.

Eve was in a state of shock as she walked aimlessly around the parking structure behind the movie theater. She couldn't believe that Jesse had actually gone _that_ far...!

Eve looked up at the sky that was now filled with dark, gray clouds that threatened to pour rain. A soft rumbling in the distance could be heard, and she knew that a thunderstorm would be taking place.

"Eve!" She looked behind her to see an annoyed Jesse running at her. "What the hell was all that back there, Eve?" He hollered angrily.

She gaped at him, not believing what she heard. "I don't know, Jesse, why the fuck were you doing that to me during the movie?" She retorted, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Eve, _no one _was in there! We were all alone!"

"It doesn't matter!"

"Eve, you're making a huge fucking deal out of _nothing_." He grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets, his eyebrows furrowing together as he grew irritated.

"Are you trying to tell me that my feelings and security mean _nothing_ to you, Jesse?" Eve snapped.

"Eve, you're twisting my words!"

"No, I am not, Jesse Worth!"

"You know, ever since that stupid ass guy came into the picture, everything has gone wrong for us, Eve!" Jesse yelled. "He's trying to tear us apart!"

"Don't you _dare_ try and put the blame on Jacob! He's done nothing wrong!" Eve yelled.

"Oh, yea? Then why was everything so different the moment that I arrived here a few weeks ago?!"

"Because he was everything you aren't!" She screamed. "Meeting him made me realize that I didn't want to be in this relationship anymore!"

"Eve... Eve, you don't mean that!"

"Yes, I _do_, Jesse. We're officially over." Eve spoke calmly, feeling so much better for getting everything off her chest.

Jesse glared at her viciously, the intensity it had making Eve feel uncomfortable, vulnerable... _scared_. Jesse grabbed her by her forearm and brought her closer to him by yanking on it. His grip tightened and she winced from the pain.

"I... will _ruin_ you, Evangeline Blair. _Count on it_. Besides, I can do much better than a _fat ass_ like you." He spat, shoving her to the side as he walked towards his car, speeding off and out of sight.

Eve glanced down at her arm and noticed it was red, his hand print slightly visible. She knew, however, that the physical pain she felt was nothing compared the emotional one she was going through after being called a "fat ass". She walked towards a corner of the parking lot and sat on the curb, getting out her cell phone.

She scrolled through her contacts and thought about who to call. "I can't call mom, she'd go nuts." Eve mumbled. She found the number she wanted and pressed the call button, pressing the device up to her ear.

"_Hey, this is Dylan! Leave a message with your number and I'll get back to you soon!_"

Eve sighed before ending the call, and dialed another number. It rang once, twice, three times before she got the answering machine.

"_Hey, it's Jake, leave a message and I'll call you back._"

The machine let out a beep and she knew it was recording her message. She immediately closed the phone and buried her face into her hands.

She didn't want to drag anyone into this mess. Especially Jacob. She knew that if she did, and she explained what had happened... he'd more than likely try to find and kill Jesse. Eve didn't think that was a bad idea, but she still wouldn't want him to do it, though...

Eve pulled her knees up to her chest and let her head rest upon them. She couldn't believe how crappy the day had become.

"Is this some kind of karma for keeping secrets from my mom...?"

Jacob had just gotten home. He was sweaty and had gotten his mind off of Eve and Jesse during his voluntary patrol just as he had hoped to do. Jacob took a quick shower and as he was finishing up, could hear his cell phone ring from his room with his sensitive hearing. Jacob shrugged it off, taking his time getting out of the shower and changing into some new clothes before checking his Missed Calls list.

Her number was there at the very top, the time the call had been received being around fifteen minutes ago. He sighed tiredly as he sat down on his bed, debating on whether or not to call her back. Unable to resist, he dialed her number and she picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Eve, you called me?"

"Yea, I did..." She mumbled.

"So what is it?" He asked rather coldly.

Eve noticed the tone in his voice, flinching as she began to answer him. "Nothing really... Something happened between Jesse and I and he left me here, so... so..." Jacob could hear her voice quivering on the line and he could hear her sniffling softly. "Could you please... come and pick me up? I don't have a ride."

He could make out her soft cries and his heart broke in half. "Where are you?"

"Port Angeles, behind the movie theater…"

"I'll be there as soon as I can, Eve. Stay there, don't move or talk to anyone."

"Thanks, Jacob."

"Eve...?"

"Yea?"

"It's _Jake_."

She giggled softly and Jacob was pleased to hear it. "Okay... thanks, Jake."

"Okay, I'll be there as fast as I can. Bye."

"Bye."

Jacob grabbed his leather jacket and ran out the door with his keys, getting into his Rabbit. He turned on the engine and soon was speeding down the asphalt road towards Eve.

_It's official,_ Jacob concluded. _If I see that jackass ever again he's a dead man._

After Eve had gotten off the phone with Jacob, it began to rain, the gray clouds crying along with her. Eve didn't move from the curb towards shelter from the relentless droplets. She actually enjoyed it. It took her mind away from things for a while.

She had waited for about thirty minutes before a honk brought her back into reality. Her head snapped up to see the familiar red Rabbit parked on the opposite side of the road.

Before Eve could even stand up, Jacob darted out of the car and picked her up in his arms, carrying her over to the passenger's side and setting her inside the toasty vehicle that had it's heater on. Jacob got back into the driver's seat and looked at her.

He noticed her teeth that were softly chattering and he removed his jacket, placing it around her. "You're freezing..." He murmured, and then pulled her into his chest. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Later...?" Eve questioned hopefully. Jacob stared down at her, not wanting to accept that answer. "Jesse tried to make out with me during a movie. I didn't want to and left. We got into this huge argument and I told him that we were done. He told me he'd ruin me and then he left."

"That ass..." Jacob grumbled. "I'm gonna kill him if he's stupid enough to come back onto the reservation, which I wouldn't put it past him."

Eve chuckled softly before hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much, Jake."

"I'll always be here, Eve. Believe me."

"You don't have to tell me twice." She mumbled into his chest, soon looking up at him. "Jake... kiss me."

He leaned in and let his lips connect with hers, sending off waves of ecstasy throughout their bodies. Jacob's hands cupped her face gently, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs, while Eve's ran through his hair, ruffling it, just as she liked it. They pulled away from each other and Jacob kissed her forehead tenderly.

"Evangeline Blair..."

"Yes, Jacob Black?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"I thought you'd never ask." She replied.

They then kissed one another once more, different sparks going off inside them...

_Fireworks._

As they pulled away, Eve smiled. "Wow... our first kiss as an actual couple." 

Jacob gave a goofy grin before nodding and cleverly adding, "But it's not the only one we'll have."


	17. Chapter 17

**Seventeen**

Warmth enveloped her body, and she stirred comfortably within the heat. Her fingertips felt a different fabric from her soft comforter, and she realized it was denim. Her small nose could detect a musty fragrance in the air around her. And her heart pounded wildly in her chest...

With curiosity, Eve slowly let her eyelids lift and let her see the world around her. She found nothing interesting, but then noticed the two large and muscular tanned arms that held her waist securely.

Her eyes followed the limbs and soon rolled her head back to find Jacob Black smiling down at her.

"Good morning." She yawned.

"Good morning, Eve."

Eve sat upright and Jacob maneuvered her around in his arms until she was seated comfortably in his lap, facing him with a small smile on her lips. As he thought of them, he couldn't help but lean in and kiss them tenderly, sending off waves of giddiness throughout her entire body.

Eve was now grinning as he pulled away. "Not that I don't mind, but what are you doing here so early?"

"I wanted to be the first person to tell you 'good morning'." He answered, moving a few straying strands of her dark brown hair from covering those honey brown orbs that he so fondly cared about.

Eve fell into his chest and sighed contently. "I feel like this is some sort of cheesy movie that's too good to be true." She mumbled.

Jacob chuckled lowly in amusement, not wanting to make too much noise. "I just hope that the credits won't roll anytime soon then."

Jacob let his arms hold her tightly, with no intention of letting her go. His sensitive hearing then picked up Darla moving pots and pans downstairs, mumbling things about making breakfast._Damn..._

"Your mom's starting to make breakfast." He mused.

"How do you know?" She pulled away from his chest, staring at him curiously.

"She just clanged a few pots, you just woke up so you're still a little groggy and can't hear as well." He answered, making up a quick excuse.

_I gotta keep my mouth shut..._He told himself.

"I'm gonna start getting ready," Eve mumbled. "Are you going to stay for breakfast?"

"Do you need to ask?" He retorted with a smirk, placing her onto the bed and off his lap like she weighed nothing. His legs carried him towards the window, which he lifted up and began to climb out of.

"What are you doing? I thought you were staying for breakfast."

"Your mom doesn't know I'm here. Walking down the stairs might freak her out when she knows she hasn't let me inside the house, don't you think?" He replied, one leg hanging out of the window while the other kept him steady as it resided upon the floor.

Eve gave a soft laugh before nodding. "Yea, you're right. I'll see you in a few." She walked over to him and kissed his cheek lightly.

He grinned as he climbed down and jumped halfway down, walking around the front of the house and out of sight.

Eve didn't waste time as she picked out an outfit for the day and headed into the bathroom for one of her quickest showers yet. She didn't want to keep Jacob waiting, but she also didn't want to be separated from him for too long.

_I'm already becoming clingy..._She commented.

She got dressed and let her hair air dry. She didn't mind having wavy hair today. She hastily made her way down the steps and into the kitchen, where Darla was beginning to set the table with plates and utensils. Jacob was bringing cups and the jug of orange juice, pouring some into each cup.

"Thank you, Jacob." Darla smiled.

"No problem, Darla."

Darla looked up and saw Eve standing there. "There's my baby girl," She cooed, walking over and hugging her gently. "How are you, Evangeline?"

"Good, and it's_just_Eve, mom. I thought we had established this already?" She chuckled.

"I remember nothing of the sort." Darla grinned, walking back towards the table. "Now come and sit, the two of you."

Eve smiled, but couldn't help but think about how..._different_her mom was acting. She hadn't called Eve her "baby girl" since before she left for Beverly Hills a little more than two years ago. Not to mention Darla had been calling her "Eve" since she got back, only calling her by her full name when she was angry.

Eve shrugged it off, it was probably something that would blow over soon enough.

Darla had served each of them like the loving mother she was, and soon began to eat herself. Eve noticed how much her mom had put onto her plate and was a little shocked. This wasn't a normal first serving, this was two servings on one plate...! She eyed it carefully before taking a few small bites and a few sips of her OJ.

As Jacob was taking a sip from his drink and Darla was putting more food onto the serving plates, Eve stealthily shoved a majority of the food that was untouched on her plate back from where it came.

_"...I can do much better than a_fat ass_like you."_

Jesse's words still stung. She knew that because they were finally done and over with they should have no meaning at all, but she still was hurting over them on the inside.

_Am I still considered fat...?_

Darla sat back down and they, which was Jacob and Darla, continued to eat. Eve merely sat and played with what was left on her plate.

"My Eve, you ate so much so fast...! Do you want some more?"

"_No_... thank you, mom."

She could feel their lingering stare upon her, but she didn't look up to meet them. She suddenly smiled and her chin went up.

"Mom, I..._Jake_and I, have something to tell you." She looked over at him to see him now beaming over at her.

"Oh, really? What is it?" Darla leaned in curiously as if they were all sharing some huge secret.

"Last night when Jesse and I went out, we... well, we broke up." Eve explained. "Jake picked me up last night and well..." She looked over at Jacob who then figured it was his turn.

"I asked her to be my girlfriend. She said yes and now we're officially together."

"Oh Eve, I always told you he was a good guy!" Darla laughed enthusiastically. "I'm glad for the two of you! This has made me so happy...!"

From underneath the table, Jacob grabbed Eve's hand tenderly, stroking the back of it with his thumb. "You're not the only one, Darla." Eve blushed lightly before giving his hand a small squeeze, letting him know that she felt the same way.

"Oh, you two are so cute together!" Darla gushed. "Go out now, enjoy your time together! Out, now!"

The two teens were then ushered out of the house by Darla and she watched them get into Jacob's parked Rabbit and speed off to God-only-knows. Darla began to clean up the kitchen and and wash the dishes, soon mumbling things to herself.

"Who is Jesse?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Eighteen**

Eve wiped away a few tears that escaped her eyes because of the awful taste that plagued her mouth. She pulled down the toilet seat cover, not wanting to see the contents her stomach had just unwillingly released, and flushed it away without a second thought.

She scrunched up her nose as she breathed, and quickly found her toothbrush, putting the minty paste onto the tip and immediately scrubbing away the rancid aroma and taste in her mouth.

As Eve finished up, she could hear Darla calling out to her. "Evangeline, breakfast is ready!"

Sighing, Eve put her things away._Why can't she remember that it's_just_Eve?_She questioned herself.

It had been a week since Darla had been acting weird, and it was starting to worry Eve incredibly. Why couldn't she remember...?

"Evangeline...!" She called out again in a sing-song kind of voice.

Eve groaned, straightening out her clothes and fixing her hair before she left the bathroom. As she passed her room, she stopped, eyeing her cell phone that resided upon her bed.

_Should I...?_

"Evangeline...!"

_Yes._She concluded. "Hold on mom, I'm just getting something from my room!"

"Alright, just hurry so your food doesn't get cold!"

She briskly walked towards the cellular device, picked it up and looked through her contacts. Eve pressed the "dial" button when she found the number she wanted and pressed the phone up to her ear.

"Forks General Hospital, how can I help you?" A woman's voice inquired.

"Hello, my mother is a patient of Doctor Carlisle Cullen's, is he available to speak to?"

"Would you like me to transfer you to his office?"

"Yes, please, thank you."

It was quiet for a few seconds, and for a minute Eve thought that the woman had ended the call.

"Hello, this is Doctor Carlisle Cullen, who is this?" His friendly voice flowed through the receiver with ease and Eve smiled knowing that she was able to reach him.

"Hello Doctor Cullen, this is Eve Blair, Darla Blair's daughter."

"Oh, yes, hello Eve." He chuckled warmly. "How are things with you and your mother?"

"Well, I'm doing fine, thank you, but... my mom's been acting out of character. She's different; she's acting like she had with me before I left home, and it's a definite change from how she was acting before when I got here a few months ago. Not only has her personality changed, but she seems to have forgotten that she calls me Eve. Now she strictly goes by my full name."

Eve could hear Carlisle ponder to himself before he responded back to her. "Eve, do you think you can possibly manage to bring Darla over here today?"

"Of course, I'll bring her over right now."

"Alright then. I'll be waiting for you and Darla to arrive." He said. "Be safe."

"Thank you, Carlisle, goodbye."

Eve ended the call, stuffing her phone into her pocket as she bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. She sat down next to her mom and the two ate quietly.

"Mom, I forgot to mention, Doctor Cullen called right now and asked to see you today."

"When do we have to go, Evangeline?"

"Well, he would like for us to come as soon as possible, so after we clean up then, I guess."

"Okay." She got up from her seat, carrying her plate and cup, and placed them inside the sink. "I'm already done, just bring me your things when you are, too."

Eve observed her mother's actions as she ate. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the moment except that she still called her by her full name.

Darla leaned over to a vase which carried an assortment of flowers. "These flowers that Jacob got you yesterday are so beautiful." She commented. "It's a shame their smell isn't strong, I would've liked to smell them."

Eve stopped eating at stared at her mom in confusion. What was she talking about? Eve could smell the aroma of the blossoms from where she sat at the table that was more than five feet away, and Darla couldn't when she was a mere few inches...?

If Eve wasn't worried before, she surely was now.

Eve decided that she could eat later and threw away the remainders on her plate away in the trash before helping clean up. Eve ushered her mom into the Yukon and got into the driver's seat, starting the engine and soon driving down the street.

Eve found it hard to concentrate. So many things were racing through her mind, not only that, but she felt faint._There's so many things going on..._

"Evangeline, you're drifting into the other lane..." Darla pointed out nervously.

Eve immediately snapped to attention and corrected the car, put it back onto it's own lane. She couldn't believe she hadn't paid enough attention to the road to notice that...!

"Evangeline, are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine, mom. Just didn't sleep well."

Eve knew that that wasn't a complete lie. Her and Jacob had been up most of the night, cuddling, kissing, and just enjoying each other's company. She wasn't blaming Jacob, not at all, she had stayed up after Jacob had left because she had difficulties falling asleep. It was her fault for the lack of sleep she had gotten.

"Evangeline, would you like me to drive?"

"No, no, mom. I'm fine, I promise. It won't happen again."

Within minutes, they arrived at Forks General, parking in one of the structures and heading up to Oncology. The ride up the elevator shaft felt like it took forever to Eve as she watched each floor number light up and turn off as they passed each level. Finally they arrived at the eighth floor and disembarked the lift.

Eve looked around and found Carlisle exiting a patient's room, walking towards them as he scanned a few papers. He looked up and saw the two of them, giving them a warm smile before he met them.

"Hello Eve, Darla." He greeted kindly.

"Hello Doctor Cullen, you said you wanted to see us?" Darla spoke with a smile.

"Yes, I wanted to run a few tests, see how things were. Would that be alright with you?"

"Of course."

"Great," He motioned over to one of the nurses who then approached the three of them with a wheelchair. "Jackie here will take you to the CT room and will get you prepped." As soon as Darla was sitting down, she was being wheeled away down the hall. "Eve, I'll immediately talk with you once I get the results."

"Doctor Cullen, I also noticed that she tried to smell some flowers earlier, but said they didn't smell like anything. I could smell them perfectly fine from where I was sitting a few feet away... I don't know if that's anything important or not, but... I thought you should known anyways. Thank you for doing this, Carlisle."

"Thank you for letting me know Eve, and I'm happy to help."

Eve gave a grateful smile and then left towards the waiting room. She was happy to find that it was empty and she took a seat next to a small table that was littered with magazines. She killed time by looking through them, and found one that caught her eye.

"_Evangeline Blair: The 'Innocent' Model Gone Bad_"

She opened up the magazine and began to sift through the pages, soon finding the article that was written about her.

"_Evangeline Blair is still considered to be the new girl among many professional models. She began her extravagant career at the young age of fifteen, doing small promotions for stores and new clothing lines. She was turned onto the career by her step-mother, Joanne Saunders, a major name in The Limited Brands Co., and joined her new step-sister, Dylan Saunders, in the modeling business._

_Now at the ripe age of 17, soon to be 18 on December 15th, Evangeline is one of the biggest names in the fashion industry. She's done multiple shoots for magazines such as_Elle_,_Vogue_,_Flare_, and many more prestigious publications. For Evangeline, her career seems to be booming, and her reputation seems to be spotless... up until recently, that is._

_Longtime boyfriend, Jesse Worth, who is attempting to break into the acting profession, recently decided to break up with his supermodel girlfriend. Why would he do such a thing?_"She was cheating on me with some low-life."_was the answer that Jesse supplied us with..."_

Eve grimaced, soon scowling at the article and ripping it out of the magazine along with the cover page. She crumpled up the papers in frustration and tossed them into a trash bin that was placed a few feet away.

_That son of a bitch..._She growled._And who does he think he is? He didn't break up with_me_, I broke up with_his_sorry ass._

She couldn't wait to set things straight with the press, but she knew that she was also dreading it on the inside. If she messed up even once with what she said, she knew that they would contort her words into something else. They always did.

Eve got out her phone and dialed Jacob's number. Maybe his voice could soothe her like it always did right now...

"Hello?"

"Hey Jake, it's Eve."

"Hey Eve, what's up?"

"Nothing, just bored at the hospital."

"Are you alright?" He immediately questioned.

Eve couldn't help but giggle softly at how quickly he had asked. She found how much he worried about her to be cute and endearing. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm here for my mom. They're running tests."

"Oh, why? Do you want me to come over?"

"I called Carlisle and told her she had been acting weird lately and he told me to bring her in for some tests. No, it's fine Jake, thank you, though."

"Alright, but if you change your mind just let me know."

"I will." A throat was cleared and she looked up to see Carlisle standing there with a clipboard in his hand. "Sorry Jake, can you hold on a second?"

"Sure,"

She got up from the chair and left the waiting room, walking out into the hallway with Carlisle. "How is it?" She inquired.

"I'm afraid the tumor is getting worse. You said she was calling you by your full name because she couldn't remember calling you anything else, that she was acting differently, and that she also couldn't smell, correct?" Eve nodded her head softly. "Well, loss of memory, personality changes, and anosmia, which is loss of smell, are a few symptoms that occur when there's cancer next to the Olfactory groove."

"What does this mean...?"

"Well, for now, we're going to check her back into the hospital for monitoring and to also give her chemotherapy. I'll also be giving the surgeons from the UCLA Medical Center a call to see if we can schedule an earlier date for surgery."

Eve could only nod her head to let him know she understood. "Thank you for doing this, Doctor Cullen."

"You're welcome, Eve." He replied, beginning to walk away to tend to other patients.

As he left, Eve saw her mother being wheeled out of one of the many rooms and into the hallway by a nurse.

Eve suddenly felt a wave of dizziness overcome her. She swayed gently and took a few steps back, leaning up against the wall and hanging onto the railing that was there. Her knees buckled weakly as the fatigue finally took her over. Eve fell to the ground, hearing Darla scream her name before blacking out.

"_Evangeline!_"

Jacob, who had still been on the line expecting to continue his earlier conversation with Eve, felt his heart race. He jumped up from his bed and threw on a shirt as he raced out of the house with keys in his hand. He decided to take his motorbike since it would be faster than driving in the Rabbit and soon sped off in the direction of Forks General Hospital.

_Please be alright..._


	19. Chapter 19

**Nineteen**

"Eve... if you can hear me, I love you so much. You have to wake up soon, not just for me, but for Darla, too."

Jacob's voice was faint, it were almost as if Eve was listening to him from underwater. She heard him, though, and that enough gave her the motivation to force her eyes open.

"Eve...!" His muscular tanned arms wrapped around Eve's upper torso, gently squeezing her as he placed kisses on her temple. "Thank_God_you're alright."

"What... what happened?" She murmured, her voice raspy and dry.

Jacob handed her a cup of water. "Here, drink this." He told her, helping her hold the cup until she had a firm grasp. "You fainted after being told about Darla's condition. The doctors believe it was maybe the stress, but they've done some tests just to make sure."

Almost as if on cue, Doctor Carlisle Cullen sauntered into the room, looking over some papers on a clipboard. "Jake, could you please go down the hall and get Darla from her room so she can be here?"

"Sure..." Jacob replied hesitantly, soon walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Eve, you passed out a few hours ago. We immediately ran some tests and got you settled into the room. It's been about four hours since you've collapsed." He explained. "We found that you might have been suffering from malnutrition because of your vitals and such."

"That's crazy," Eve began. "I eat with my family all the time. The tests must be wrong." She sat up uneasily in her bed and realized that she had been too persistent with her purging the past few days and that was why she had fainted.

The door opened and Jacob wheeled Darla in, who looked relieved to see her daughter finally awake.

"We ran some different tests and I have a very important question to ask. You_must_answer this truthfully, Eve. It's important." Eve awaited for the question and she felt lightheaded when it was finally asked. "Are you bulimic?"

"No."

"Eve, this is crucial. If you don't tell me the truth, your health is in danger."

Eve was annoyed. She told him the answer. Even if it wasn't true, she had given him a reply. Why didn't he just want to leave the subject alone...?

"Eve!" Upon hearing the familiar voice, Eve's head shot upwards. "Thank God you're awake! I was so worried!" Dylan looked as if she had been crying the entire time she was headed to Forks General with her puffy pink eyes and reddened cheeks. "What's going on?"

"Doctor Cullen was asking Evangeline if she was bulimic. I must say it's such a crazy thought..." Darla answered.

Dylan looked at Eve as new tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm... I'm... I'm so sorry for doing this to you, Eve...!" She bawled, falling onto the bed and soaking Eve's hospital gown with her salty tears as she hugged her younger step-sister. "I don't want this to happen again. Please..._please_tell them...! Tell them the truth!"

Eve couldn't believe her ears. The person who had shown her how to purge was now pleading with her to stop and tell them her darkest secret...? It just didn't make sense.

"Evangeline... is... is this_true_?"

As soon as she saw her mother's watery eyes she began to sob hysterically. "..._Yes_..."

Eve was soon joined by her mother who was now crying as well. She was shocked that her little innocent angel had done such an act. It broke her heart in two. Darla couldn't believe she had let it go on. If she had only been a bit more_observant_maybe this all could have been avoided. She was Eve's mother, and if she couldn't protect her from something like this, she felt that she couldn't do much of anything.

Darla knew it was her fault for Eve's current situation.

Eve looked through her blurred vision to find that Jacob's figure was leaned against a wall. She blinked her eyes free of the tears and found that he was staring directly into her honey brown eyes with his dark chocolate ones. They were dull and almost black. Eve looked away immediately with guilt, knowing that she was the one who caused his pain.

Doctor Cullen began to explain what Bulimia was. Eve didn't care, she was too busy being ashamed of herself and her irrational actions. She honestly didn't know how it got this bad, but knowing how this was ending, was making her wish she had never started.

"What... what can we do for her, Doctor Cullen?" Darla inquired, finally gathering herself as she wiped away a few tears on her hospital gown.

"Well, I believe that going to a rehabilitation center would be best. There she would be able to undergo counseling and it would most likely be a fast procedure. Depending on her situation, she could be out in as little as a month."

Carlisle sighed and turned to face Darla completely. "Darla, I also have good news. Your surgery has been moved up considerably. Due to the fact your tumor is growing rather rapidly, your surgery has been rescheduled for this week. In two days you'll be in Los Angeles and going into endoscopic surgery."

"That's wonderful. Where would you suggest that Evangeline be sent?"

Eve couldn't believe her ears. They were talking about her like she wasn't even there...!

"I know a few people who work with Bulimia Nervosa patients in rehabilitation centers. The absolute best place I can recommend would be Rosewood Ranch. I'm afraid that it is far from home, very far."

"How far are we talking about?"

"It's in Wickenburg, Arizona in the Sonora Desert." He answered. "They always help their patients recover quickly and I'm sure that Eve can be helped there. Of course, if it's too far I'm more than happy to recommend more local rehab centers?"

"No. That's perfect. Could you please give me their number?"

"Gladly." He nodded, walking out of the room to fetch the information.

"Thank you so much." She replied, and then looked at Eve with heartbroken eyes. "Eve, you're leaving for this place."

"I know." She replied quietly. "Tell them to expect me after your surgery."

"Oh no, you're leaving_tomorrow_."

"Mom... you cannot be serious! I can't miss your surgery for rehab!" Eve yelled. "What kind of daughter would I be?"

"What kind of_mother_would_I_be if I didn't make you go as soon as possible, Evangeline Blair!" Darla shouted. "You're leaving tomorrow. If you don't, then I will not be undergoing this surgery, do you hear me?"

Eve stared at her mother in complete shock as the tears continued to cascade down her cheeks. "Dylan... please... start packing my things..."


	20. Chapter 20

**Twenty**

She couldn't believe what was happening. Eve was in shock that everything had happened so fast. After being in the hospital for a night, in which they gave her all the nutrients she needed, she was discharged and getting ready for her flight.

And at the moment she was waiting for her plane to Phoenix, Arizona to be called for boarding along with her mom, Darla, who was waiting for her own flight to Los Angeles, California to be called as well.

In all the time that had passed, Darla had not spoken a word to her daughter. Darla would have someone else tell Eve her reply, and Eve didn't like it one bit. If Eve didn't feel bad at first, she sure as hell was now.

The airport's intercom went off, and announced the flights that were beginning the boarding process — Eve's and Darla's being two of the few announced.

Everyone — being Eve, Jacob, and Darla — grabbed their belongings and were going to head to their Gates. Eve looked at her mom who was putting her things over her shoulder and slowly walking away, and she knew she had to do it.

She dropped her bags and briskly walked to her mom, getting in front of her and staring at her with a determined look. Eve wanted — needed — to talk to her mom, and if she got a few words, she'd be fine with it. She just needed to hear her mom's voice...

She needed to be told that everything was going to be okay.

"Mom... I'm sorry. I'm so,_so_sorry." Eve's voice was already beginning to crack, and so she spoke in a soft voice in an attempt to hide it. "Are you mad at me...?"

"No, just incredibly disappointed with your decisions."

Eve was glad to hear an actual verbal response, but found that her heart was being torn at the answer she received. Anyone could tell you that hearing your mom saying she was_disappointed_in you was much worse than hearing she was_mad_at you. Eve nodded so her mom would know she heard.

A hand was put on her shoulder and Eve looked up at her mom who now stood closer than before with misty eyes. "But I still love you and forgive you, Evangeline. You're my baby. And I will_always_love you no matter what. What you did wasn't very smart, but I know why you did it." Darla explained, letting a few of those tears in her eyes spill over. "Evangeline, you're_truly_all that I have left that's worth living for. I don't want to lose you. And I can't wait for things to go back to normal after you come back from Rosewood and I come back from surgery."

"Me too, mom. I love you."

They shared a long hug and Eve found that she was now crying as well. As they pulled away, Eve wiped away her fresh tears and Darla did the same.

"I'll miss you, Evangeline. Get better soon so you can come home. Everything's going to be okay."

"I"ll miss you, too, mom. I'll call you when I have time tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Evangeline."

"Bye, mom."

They shared one last embrace before they left each other. Darla walked away towards her gate and Eve headed towards Jacob who was carrying all their stuff.

Eve took her bags from his grasp in silence and the two walked off towards the gate. Jacob would be going with Eve to Arizona. Sam was reluctant to let him go because of patrols, but he knew how important imprints were, and so he made an exception for him. Jacob had been asked by Darla to go, but he also wanted to go of his own free will. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to make sure that she was alright and that she would_stay_alright.

He didn't want to relive this again... ever.

They walked in silence towards the gate and soon were walking down the corridor and onto the flying machine. They found their seats and got comfortable, Jacob sat at the window seat while Eve got the aisle.

It was then that Eve began to think and worry about Jacob. The couple hadn't spoken since yesterday when they found out. Eve remembered how distraught he looked when they discovered the truth.

_I should apologize to him, too..._

Eve turned to face Jacob, ready to tell him how sorry she was, but stopped herself before she could get a syllable out. She smiled at what she saw. Jacob was leaned up against the window, eyes closed and snoring away slightly.

She didn't know that he was just pretending to be asleep. He wanted to hear her voice, but he couldn't at the moment. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she had been doing something so... so harmful to herself and he didn't even know about it.

What kind of a boyfriend_was_he...?

Not a very good one that 's for sure.

_How could I be so damn oblivious...?_He thought.

The plane took off and Eve cuddled into Jacob's shoulder, soon falling asleep herself. Feeling her get comfortable into his body, Jacob eased up. He sighed contently before his arm made its way out form under her and wrapped itself around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Eve." He whispered softly.

The plane landed after a little more than an hour at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Jacob woke Eve up from her nap. The two disembarked the craft, grabbing their carry on items, and headed towards the baggage claim. After getting their other luggage, they both found the Enterprise.

Jacob spoke with the man and got the keys to the rented car. As they had in the airport, they walked silently towards the silver GMC that they had ordered and began to put their things into the back, soon driving away.

"Here's the directions to Wickenburg." Eve said softly, still a little groggy from waking up. "It's gonna be a bit of a drive. It's about fifty-five miles from here."

Jacob nodded his head and pulled out of the parking garage, starting the drive towards Wickenburg. It was quiet and Eve felt uncomfortable, even when she turned on the radio it didn't help — if anything it got worse. Not even five minutes had passed before she turned the radio back off.

Jacob didn't do anything, he simply kept his eyes on the road before him.

It was then that Eve knew it was time.

"Jacob, please listen. I'm really sorry for what I did. You... you don't know_how_sorry I am." Eve began. "I just feel so horrible for it — for_everything_. I'm so sorry."

Jacob didn't acknowledge her words as he got off the interstate and parked in a local diner's parking lot.

"Say something..." She whispered. "Please."

Jacob turned to look at Eve and that's when it hit her. She knew that Jacob was obviously hurt when he found out about her eating disorder, but when she stared into his lachrymose brown eyes, she realized it hurt him more than she first thought.

"Eve... you're_perfect_. I just don't get that you can't see that. I mean... you're_hurting_yourself for no reason at all!" He told her. "I've_always_thought that you were like a fucking angel and I_still_do! Ever since I saw you back in high school when you were just a freshmen I've wanted to be with you!"

"R-really?" Eve stammered through her tears, wiping each of them away as fast as she could.

"Yes!" He shouted, nodding his head furiously. "My God, Eve...! I just... I just want to make sure that you stay the same! I don't want you to change! I don't want you to hurt yourself just to please other people and to make their opinion about you be a good one! You can't do this to yourself, Eve! You_can't_...!"

Jacob reached over to Eve and put his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her gently towards him. Their foreheads met and Eve's pink and slightly swollen eyes met with Jacob's watery brown ones.

"Don't you get it, Evangeline Blair...?" He questioned softly, wiping away few tears that fell with his thumb. "You're amazing... just the way you are."


	21. Chapter 21

**Twenty-one**

The two of them sat there in silence. Eve had crawled into Jacob's lap and his arms were wrapped protectively snug around her waist. Eve listened to his heartbeat and it made her own quicken to try and keep pace with his own. His unusually high consistent body temperature kept her nice and warm, almost as if he was her safety blanket. His constant mumblings of "I love you" created butterflies in her stomach and made her heart jump in her chest.

Eve had never felt so at peace before in her life. She wished she didn't have to leave this place, this moment in time that would forever be engraved in her mind.

"Jacob..." She murmured his name delicately, and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He loved the way she purred out his name.

"Yea, Eve...?"

"Thank you for coming with me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for everything."

He pulled her away from him and their eyes connected for a split second before he began to speak to her. "I never want to be away from you, Eve. And there's no reason to thank me for loving you. I would love you even if your physical appearance changed — for better or worse. I'll love you till I die." He told her softly, brushing a few strands of hair that fell, obstructing his view of her perfect honey eyes. "I would do_anything_and_everything_that I could for you, Eve."

"I love you, Jacob." She told him, a smile rising upon her lips.

"I love you, too, Eve."

The two shared a quick kiss and Eve's stomach growled hungrily. They laughed and Jacob looked over his shoulder, soon taking the keys out of the ignition and smiling at her.

"Well, we're parked next to a diner. Might as well eat, especially since you're hungry."

"My stomach and I thank you." Eve joked.

Jacob placed a hand upon her small belly and rubbed it. "You're quite welcome, Eve's stomach."

Jacob and Eve then got off the car and walked through the sweltering Arizona heat to the small building. Jacob opened the door for Eve like a gentleman and the two let out a sigh of relief as they noticed the cooler temperature. They were seated immediately at a booth in the corner and handed menus, the waitress taking their drink orders quickly before heading off into the kitchen.

Eve looked over at Jacob who was smiling back at her. She got up and moved over onto his side of the booth, leaning into his body as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I don't want to be away from you." Eve mumbled into his chest, inhaling his intoxicating scent. "This is going to be hard..."

"Tell me about it," Jacob kissed the top of her head lightly. "I'm going to be counting the days."

"Here are your drinks." The waitress stated, placing both sodas upon the table. "Are you ready to order?"

The two of them gave the waitress their orders and as she left, she smiled at the couple and made a comment that left Eve blushing. "You both look so in love. You're a great couple."

"She's right." Jacob whispered into her ear.

"Shut up."

"You know it's true."

"Which part?"

"_Both_, duh."

Eve only blushed further and buried her face into the crook of his neck. "Well... I_do_love you..." She mumbled.

"And if I haven't said it enough, I love you, too."

After eating, Jacob and Eve paid and got back on the road, heading to Rosewood Ranch for Eve's rehabilitation. Eve's heart dropped when they passed a sign that read "Welcome to Wickenburg" and knew that she didn't have much time with Jacob..._her_Jacob.

Eve read off the directions to Jacob who turned and drove towards the center. Soon they were pulling into a parking lot and Eve could only stare at the large buildings that looked like a resort.

"So this is where you're gonna be for a few weeks, huh...?" Jacob mumbled.

"Apparently so."

"Looks... nice."

"Yea, it does." Eve agreed.

They got off the car and they walked hand in hand towards the building. Jacob opened the door for her and they entered the cool air conditioned room, walking up to the desk and beginning to talk with the receptionist.

"Hello, welcome to Rosewood Ranch. How can I help you?" The blond asked perkily.

"Hi, my name's Evangeline Blair. I'm—"

"Oh! Evangeline Blair, yes we've been expecting you." She smiled. "Please, take a seat, I'll have Doctor Herbert come out to greet you shortly."

"Thank you." Eve smiled gratefully at the woman and her and Jacob took a seat in the quaint lobby that was inviting with it's earth tone colors.

They didn't talk as they waited for Doctor Herbert, they simply enjoyed their time together as their hands played with one another contently. Eve couldn't believe she wouldn't be like this with him for a while. She wished she could take back every time that she forced herself to throw up so that way she wouldn't have to be here.

"I'm sorry to have kept you."

Jacob and Eve looked up to find a woman dressed in a black pencil skirt, white button up shirt and black flats walking towards them. She looked nice and professional with her perfectly white teeth that she exposed with her smile and chestnut hair pulled into a loose bun.

"My name is Jennifer Herbert, I'm the executive director here at Rosewood." As Jennifer reached Eve and Jacob, she greeted them by a kind handshake and by flashing them her warm smile. "When Carlisle phoned me and asked me to take you in, I was more than happy to. It's a pleasure to meet you, Evangeline. Carlisle's told me that you're a very kind girl."

"Thank you..." Eve mumbled, blushing slightly at the comment. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Doctor Herbert."

"Please, call me Jen, I like to stay on a first name basis with people." She explained. "And who is this you have here? An older brother, maybe?"

"No, my name is Jacob Black. I'm Evangeline's boyfriend." He chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sorry for assuming things." Jennifer apologized. "Well, let's start the tour shall we?"

"Yes, please." Eve nodded.

The three of them then began to go around the premises. Jennifer explained the activities the patients did and where Eve would sleep at for her stay there. The tour took about an hour and after it was finished, Eve felt like it wouldn't be that bad a place.

"Well, this is where your rehabilitation begins, Evangeline." Jennifer stated. "Jacob, I'm afraid that after you help Evangeline move into her room, you'll have to leave. Evangeline has free time for thirty minutes every day from eleven-thirty to twelve, and she'll be able to call you during that time. Also, visiting hours are every Sunday from one in the afternoon to five.."

"Alright, thank you for showing us around, Jennifer." Jacob shook her hand once more and Jennifer then left the two of them to get Eve settled in.

Jacob and Eve headed out towards the car, grabbed her few suitcases and carried them into the building. They headed down corridors and soon arrived at the room Eve would be living in. They walked inside her new bedroom and saw it was small, but looked very well decorated and functional.

Sighing, Eve and Jacob then began to unpack her belongings and put them away where they belonged. Jacob made Eve's bed for her and Eve placed all her photos and memorabilia onto the desk beside her bed. Lastly, they placed her suitcases into the closet and looked at the room for a few seconds.

The two of them sat on the bed and Jacob pulled her into his body, kissing the top of her head delicately. "So this is it..."

"I wish it wasn't."

"Well... at least I'll still be able to see you, right?"

"But I wish you didn't have to leave at all."

"Eve, you need to get better, and if that means leaving you for a while... I'll do it."

"But_you're_what makes me better, Jake." Eve retorted.

"Eve... please, do this for Darla and me." Eve remained silent as she buried her face into his chest, mumbling incoherent words and nodding her head, making him smile. "Thank you, Eve."

Jacob stood and walked towards her door, looking at her one last time. "I love you."

Eve rose and sauntered towards him and kissed his cheek tenderly. "I love you, too. And Jacob...?"

"Hm...?"

"I promise that after I get out of here, I will_never_go back."

Jacob grinned and kissed Eve's lips. "I"m happy to hear it. Get well soon, Eve." He told her. "Goodbye."

"Bye."

Soon after Jacob left, Eve was told by other directors that it was lights out, and she headed to bed for the night.

The next morning she woke from hearing a knocking on her door. Eve sat up in her bed and swung her legs over the bed, sauntering messily towards the door.

"Hello?" She opened the door to face a girl who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She had black hair, an olive complexion, and wore some comfortable looking skinny jeans and a slim fit white tee.

"Hi, my name's Amy, one of the group leaders. Jen put you into my group so I came to wake you up." She greeted, adding a quick yawn at the end. "I don't know if she told you or not, but we always wake up at six in the morning to get ready."

"No... she forgot to mention that." Eve yawned.

"Okay, well, you can go ahead and get ready. The showers are down the hall and after you're done, there's a meeting room past the showers and on the right, we all meet in there to take vitals."

"Okay, I will." Eve nodded.

"Alright, and welcome to Rosewood."

"Thanks."

After getting ready for the day, she headed into the meeting room and saw Amy sittiing down at a large round table where others were gathered as well. Eve slowly walked over to the table and was greeted warmly by Amy.

"Guys, this is Evangeline, she's new here. Let's try to make her feel welcome, okay?" Amy looked at everyone expectantly. "Let's go around introducing ourselves. As you know my name is Amy, and I'm the group leader."

Everyone then went around saying their name and a friendly hello to Eve. After having taken their vitals, the group headed towards the cafeteria for breakfast.

Amy walked towards Eve with Cora, a red head, beside her. "Eve, you just met Cora a few minutes ago. Cora volunteered to help you adjust to our schedule here." Amy smiled admirably at the red head who blushed lightly with a smile. "She'll explain to you the basics and answer any questions you have."

"Okay, thanks." Eve smiled gratefully at the two of them and Amy then left them alone.

"So, welcome to Rosewood." Cora smiled. "I hope you enjoy your stay here."

Eve laughed quietly to herself. "Thanks, I hope I do, too." She agreed.

Eve and Cora entered the cafeteria and ate breakfast, which was a few pancakes, eggs, and fruit. Eve finished her plate as did Cora, and the two began to talk about themselves to get to know each other better.

"So, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you here?" Cora inquired. "I mean, most — if not_all_— of the newbies here never finish their plate. You seem like you're a normal person." She chuckled.

"Bulimic..." Eve sighed. "I model and I have to keep my figure."

"Oh, I see." Cora nodded. "I'm anorexic. Well, I_was_. I've been here for two months and they say that I can leave in about a week."

"Why'd you become anorexic?"

"Bullying. I was... obese." Cora sighed. "I got called names, I was pushed around, and all that made me start to hate myself. I did pot thinking drugs would kinda make me numb to it all, but it didn't. I got addicted to the stuff and went to rehab for that. After I got clean, I was fine for a while, then I was bullied again. So then I became anorexic. I've been anorexic for about a year and a half. I collapsed at work one day from malnutrition, my doctors realized what was wrong, and I came here. Rosewood's kind of my savior."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was bullied a lot for my weight, too."

"Yea..." Cora chuckled. "Fucking skinny bitches."

After breakfast, everyone was rounded up and they went through the schedule. It was a busy, but very fun, day. Cora was a nice girl, and she was always explaining what each activity did for Eve's treatment. Eve was sure that she had found a friend in the red head and was glad to have met Cora.

Later that night, as she was heading to bed, Amy poked her head into Eve's room. "Um, Eve, you have a phone call. They're patching it through to your room right now." As if on cue, Eve's bedroom phone began to ring. "After you hang up, it's lights out. Goodnight, Eve. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Amy."

Eve picked up the phone and answered it with a yawn. "Hello?"

"Hello, are you Evangeline Blair?"

"Yes, I am. Who is this?"

"My name is Gerard Moreno, I'm the surgeon who performed the endoscopic surgery on your mother, Darla Blair."

"Oh yes," This seemed to make Eve wide awake. "How was the surgery?"

"Well, as we were going through the procedure, we found that because the tumor had grown over the past few days, it was too big to remove. I'm sorry, but surgery is no longer an option for Darla, it seems. Chemotherapy is the only way to treat her cancer."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

There was small chatter across the room as many people were finishing up their dinner meals. They talked about the day's events, what they did when they had company visiting, and how much their health has improved over their stay at Rosewood.

At one of the large circular tables, Amy, the group leader, stood up with a smile. She cleared her throat and got the attention of everyone who sat there.

"Guys, as we all know, Eve will be leaving us tomorrow." Amy began, causing Eve to blush as all eyes fell upon her. Eve couldn't help but smile when she remembered that Cora had acted the same way the day before she completed rehab.

"Eve, working with you has been a privilege. It doesn't feel like it's been two months, but only mere days since you first arrived. You're a great girl with an outstanding personality. You're beautiful, and everyone who doesn't acknowledge or tells you otherwise is simply blind. Don't you dare let anyone try to break you down. You're something else Eve, and that makes you special." Amy stated and then picked up her small cup of water. "I propose a toast to Eve, may the road ahead of you be a pleasant one filled with nothing but loved ones and happiness."

Everyone at the table picked up their cups and raised them up with smiles, and as dinner finished, everyone gave Eve hugs and best wishes. Amy walked Eve to her room in a comfortable silence and as they reached her door, they turned to one another.

"I meant everything that I said at dinner right now, Eve. You're truly remarkable." She told her. "I hope that everything works out for you after Rosewood."

"Thank you, Amy. You've been such a great friend throughout my time here. I enjoyed your company_and_your friendship." Eve replied with a smile.

"I was happy to help. I'll wake you up at regular time so that way you can use that time to pack." Amy then engulfed Eve in a hug, which she returned happily, and pulled away with misty eyes. "Goodnight, Eve, sleep well."

"Thanks Amy, you, too."

The next morning, Eve woke up by Amy's knock on her door. After greeting each other, Amy said her final goodbye to Eve and went off to start her usual day. Eve hopped into the shower quickly and got dressed when she returned to her room. After brushing her stringy, wet hair, she got out her suitcases from her closet and began to pack them while listening to her iPod that was on shuffle. Eve hummed along to the songs that played and got most of her packing done in no time at all.

Someone knocked on her door, however, Eve wasn't able to hear it due to the headphones that blasted her favorite artists. Jacob poked his head into the room and smiled when he saw her bobbing her head to the music he could hear with his sharp, enhanced hearing, her back to him. He carefully walked inside, closed the door and made his way to her.

He knelt down behind her and listened to the song she was humming softly to. It was one of the newer artists, Jacob wasn't sure what his name was — Bruno something-or-other, but knew that the song was called "Just The Way You Are". The song had been a hit on the radio — it was on almost all the time on every single radio station, and so Jacob knew bits and pieces of the song. As the song drew to it's closing chorus, Jacob took the buds out of her ears, making her jump in the process, and began to softly sing the words.

"_When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, cause you're amazing, just the way you are. And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile, cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are._"

"Jake, you're so damn cheesy...!" Eve giggled, twisting around and engulfing her boyfriend in a tight embrace.

"No, I'm not." He replied, kissing her lips softly. "But I missed you."

"I just saw you yesterday during visiting hours, Jake."

"You do realize that's still a long time, right?"

"Jeez, you're clingy." Eve, teased.

"Only to you."

Jacob helped Eve finish the remainder of her packing and was soon carrying out her suitcases to the car. As they walked through the small lobby, Doctor Herbert walked out and headed towards Eve, giving her a warm hug.

"Working with you was a pleasure, Eve. I hope that your life will only get better from here on out."

"Thank you, Doctor Herbert, for helping me out. I really appreciate it. I hope the same for you. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Eve. Have a safe trip home, the two of you."

Jacob and Eve said their goodbyes and soon were out on the road heading back to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to catch a flight back to Port Angeles. After about an hour's drive, they arrived, returned the luggage, and bought tickets for the next flight to Port Angeles that would be departing hours away at around six o'clock in the evening.

The couple walked through the terminals and sat down at one of the many cushioned benches, waiting for their plane to be called for boarding. Jacob let his arm run around Eve's shoulders and he pulled her into him.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Eve replied, a small smile crept upon her lips as she took a quick glance at him from the corner of his eye.

"Are you excited to be going home?"

"Yes, of course I am. I can't wait to see my mom." She sighed. "I just... I just can't believe that chemo is the only option for her. Just when I thought that this nightmare would all be over, it decides to stay. If only I had brought her in_sooner_, noticed the signs faster... maybe this wouldn't be happening."

"Don't say that, Eve. This wasn't your fault. No one noticed the change in Darla for a bit. If anything, you may be the reason she's still alive. If that tumor had gone unnoticed, it could've possibly done something to her and she might not even be living right now."

Eve sighed and pushed herself further into Jacob's chest. "I guess, but I still feel partly responsible."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Eve. We're going to have to make the best of it, that's all. Who knows, maybe all she needs is a few months of chemo...?"

Eve smiled at Jacob's reassuring. "Thanks." She got comfortable in his arms and he did as well. Eve was soon falling asleep in his arms, waiting for time to pass by so she could head home.

Their flight was called and the two of them grabbed their few carry-on items and began to board. They found their seats, placed their belongings in the compartments above and sat down next to each other. After everyone had boarded and the flight attendants had gone over the safety instructions, the plane made it's speedy way down the runway and lifted into the sky.

When the plane touched down onto solid ground again, Eve and Jacob were the first few out of the flying machine. They got their things from baggage claim and hailed down a taxi. Jacob gave the driver his home address and the two of them were on their way without another second wasted.

They arrived at Jacob's house in a mere thirty minutes, and the cab driver helped them unload their things. Eve paid and tipped him well and soon they were bringing their things into the familiar, humble red home.

"I'm so beat..." Eve sighed. "But I still feel awake."

"It's because you slept at the airport." Jacob replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Want me to drive you home?"

"Would it be alright if I stayed the night?" She inquired. "My mom might be asleep and I don't want to walk in and make a ruckus. She needs her sleep."

"Of course, you can stay the night whenever you want, Eve. You don't have to ask."

"Great, thanks." Eve then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"No, thank_you_."

Eve helped Jacob unpack his things and put them in their rightful place. After that was finished, they both got ready for bed. Jacob merely stripped down to his boxers while Eve slipped on some black shorts and a white camisole top. They climbed onto the piece of furniture and smiled at one another.

Spontaneously, Eve leaned in and kissed his lips hungrily. She didn't know why she had done it, she just simply had. Jacob returned her kiss and let his arms wrap around her waist, and with that, he pulled her onto his body so she straddled his hips.

Eve ran her hands through his hair and got goosebumps all over her body. Jacob let his hands reside on Eve's hips, occasionally wandering down to her bottom and up again. They pulled away for air, and Jake then left butterfly kisses on every inch of her neck. His lips ventured all over and found hers once more and them met in a fierce crash.

Jacob's hand left her hips and went for the bottom of her shirt, getting ready to pull it off.

"Jake, we can't. Your dad might hear us." Eve protested.

"He's not here. He's spending the night at the Clearwaters'. Sue doesn't like him staying her all by himself." He replied. "If you don't want to go through with this though, I'll understand."

Without another thought, Eve went back to kissing her boyfriend. Jacob continued with his earlier attempt at getting her shirt off and it left her frail body with ease as he tossed it to the side, leaving her in a black satin bra.

Eve sat up and caught her breath from the long kiss they had shared. Jacob let his eyes scan her torso and she blushed madly once she realized what he was doing.

"Why are you blushing?" Jacob chuckled.

"Just shut up." She mumbled and reconnected their lips so he wouldn't be able to see her cheeks that were getting redder by the second.

Eve's delicate hands went up and down his well-sculpted chest and caused him to shiver underneath. She smirked to herself at what she had made him do. It made her feel... powerful and in control. It was a bit of a turn on for her. Little did she know, but Jacob thought so as well.

Eve began to grind teasingly slow, and he growled lowly in his throat. Eve grew excited when she could feel him beginning to harden through the few layers of fabric.

Jacob turned over and stopped their kiss, making Eve give a soft grunt of dislike. Jacob's fingers took hold of the elastic cloth that clung to her waist and began to pull them down. After finally getting them off, he discarded it to the side of the room just as he had with her shirt.

Eve's arm went up and around his neck pulling him down for another kiss. His hands immediately went for her breasts and began to massage them through the fabric. Eve was going nuts at the thought that only a singly piece of cloth was separating his hands from being on her chest. It frustrated her.

Jacob rolled back onto his back and she was once again straddling him. He was about to bring her down for another kiss, but she leaned back and left him slightly dumbfounded. Her arms reached behind her and she began to unclasp the bra one hook at a time. Jacob stared up at Eve with longing eyes as he licked his lips hungrily. She chuckled at his facial expression and let her arms fall to her sides when she was finished, the bra still in place.

"I'll let you do the rest." She whispered.

Jacob let his hand reach up and gently removed the straps that hung to her shoulders and removed them slowly. He pulled the piece of cloth away from her body and left her topless. His eyes scanned over her perfect C-cup breasts and he licked his lips again subconsciously as his eyes landed upon her nipples.

He hesitantly got closer to her right breast and Eve reached up and ran a hand through his hair. His chocolate brown eyes connected with her honey ones and she smiled down at him. She pulled him closer to her breast and his mouth connected with it. He began to nibble away and she gasped softly at pleasurable sensation.

"Jake..." She groaned softly, causing him to suck harder at the reaction he received.

He then went onto her other breast and did the same with that before kissing her lips like he had been doing before. His hands wound up massaging her chest, his fingers running over her nipples that were firm and erect.

Eve's hands tugged on the elastic fabric of Jacob's boxers and he got the idea. As he took off his boxers, Eve rose from the bed and did the same with her panties, discarding them to the pile that had accumulated by the foot of the bed.

Jacob was sitting on the edge of the furniture, his member getting harder than before as he stared at his completely nude girlfriend before him. His hands reached up to her hips and went up and down her sides, feeling every inch of her soft skin. She walked forwards and straddled his lap, feeling his member next to her making her become stimulated.

They kissed one another and lay down on the bed together, their legs becoming tangled together as they arms wrapped around each other. Eve positioned herself over his member, which Jacob was now pushing at her entrance, and slowly let herself down.

She winced as her hymen broke and her virginity left her, taken by none other than Jacob Black. Jacob groaned as she went lower and sighed contently when he was completely inside her.

"You alright?"

"Mhm."

Eve leaned forward and held herself up as Jacob grabbed her hips and slowly began to bring her up and down on his shaft. The first couple of times that Eve went down, she winced slightly. As she found her rhythm, it all seemed surreal as the friction between their bodies became pure pleasure.

Jacob was soon pumping into her speedily and grunting with each new plunge. Eve's mouth was wide open as she held back her moans, letting out soft gasps everyone once in a while instead. She looked down and saw Jacob leaning up to take one of her breasts into his mouth and as his tongue swirled around her nipple, she bit her lip trying to resist screaming out in pleasure.

All hell broke loose for Eve as Jacob managed to hit her G-spot and she moaned out loudly, rolling back her neck. "Oh God, yes...! Jacob, oh my God...!"

Jacob pumped faster into her as he heard his name come from her lips. Eve continued to moan and whimper as he pounded into her and soon Jacob came, his hot seed filling her belly and leaving him empty and tired. Eve shakily let herself down onto his chest slowly and Jacob left a kiss on the top of her head. He ran a few hands through her dark brown hair and held her close. Eve stared at the wall contently and exhausted, enjoying the feeling of togetherness they were sharing right now.

"I love you, Jacob." Eve whispered.

"I love you, too, Eve."

Eve and Jacob shared a quick peck before he pulled the blankets over them. They got comfortable and the fell asleep. Eve felt like she was the luckiest girl in the work for finding someone like Jacob.


	23. Chapter 23

**Twenty-three**

Eve parked the Yukon on the side of the house as usual and got off the vehicle. She took out the wheelchair from the back of the car and helped Darla get off as well and into the chair. Evangeline then wheeled her mother up the ramp Jacob had so kindly made them a few weeks ago, and into the household and out of the slightly chilly weather. It had been two months since she had gotten back from rehabilitation and things were were going well.

Things weren't perfect, but Eve was managing to deal with whatever got thrown her way.

Darla's chemotherapy had taken priority over everything, even Eve's relationship. Her and Jake hadn't gone out on any kind of date since they had both given themselves to each other. He would come over for breakfast and leave when she took her mother to Forks General. Whenever Eve was available, however, it seemed that Jacob wasn't able to make the date. He explained that his dad, Billy, was making him run "errands" most of the day.

Eve missed Jacob. Not only that, but she felt slight anger towards the boy.

She had given him her virginity, and now they hardly ever saw one another. Eve felt stupid for making such a decision. Part of her wished they had never done the deed, while the other was completely fine with the fact.

It seemed that "errands" were the only thing the boy did nowadays. Errands._Errands my ass. No one can possibly run_that_many errands every single day._She thought to herself.

Eve shook her head at the thought that he might have someone else and mentally scolded herself. Jacob Black would_never_do that to her... would he...?

Eve pushed Darla's chair into the kitchen and towards the table, making sure that she was nice and comfortable.

"Want some hot cocoa mom?" Eve inquired as she walked over to the stove, turning on the flame.

"Yes, please, Evangeline. I'd like that very much." It was silent as she made the concoction. Soon enough though, she was carrying two large mugs of the chocolate liquid towards her mother. "Whipped cream?"

"No, thank you." Darla replied, and simply stirred the hot cocoa with a spoon in an attempt to cool it.

Eve shrugged before sauntering over to the fridge, getting out a can and spraying a bit of the fluffy topping onto the cocoa. She added a few marshmallows to the top and sat down at the chair in silence, taking her spoon and scooping some into her mouth.

"So... tell me," Darla began. "When did you and Jacob become so distant?"

"What are you talking about?" Eve stared at Darla in confusion. She didn't want to let her know that their relationship was being strained at the moment. She thought that Darla might feel responsible for it and that was the last thing she wanted.

"I know that you two aren't the same with each other. It's obvious. Even when he comes over for breakfast you both act so... uncomfortable around one another. Did something happen, Eve?"

"No... no, nothing happened."

"Tell me the truth, Evangeline. I want to know."

"Our schedules just don't... revolve around each others, that's all."

"Is that all?" She questioned her daughter knowingly.

Eve knew she wouldn't be able to hide it any longer. "Whenever I'm busy, he's free, and whenever he's free, I'm not. We just don't see each other any more and it's... it's hard."

"I understand." She sighed. "I'm sorry that you're unable to have the relationship with him that you deserve, Evangeline."

"Mom, don't be. I'm happy that I'm able to help you out, and I'd rather make sure that you're healthy than spend time with Jacob. He understands, too."

Darla smiled through her misty eyes and took hold of Eve's hand, squeezing it tightly. "Thank you, Eve... I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Mom." Eve replied, giving her mom a smile back.

Later that night, Eve was cleaning the dishes as Darla took a shower. After finishing the last one, Eve headed upstairs to get ready for bed. She changed into her pajamas and pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail.

Eve heard Darla turn off the shower and get out, and so she went to the bathroom to see if her mom needed any help getting to her room. She was about to knock when she heard a soft muffled sob from inside.

"Mom, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Evangeline."

"Can I come in?"

There was no reply and so Eve decided she would risk getting yelled at by her mom to make sure that she was alright. She turned the knob and took a step inside. Eve saw her mom in her yellow bathrobe, sitting upon the toilet seat cover with her face buried into her hands, her shoulders shaking as she silently cried.

"Mom, what's the matter? Are you hurt?" Eve's questions came rushing out, sounding almost jumbled together.

"I'm fine... I'm_fine_...!" Darla yelled.

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry for yelling, Evangeline." Darla apologized. "I'm just... emotional right now."

"Mom... what's wrong?"

"It's nothing really. I... I just noticed when I was taking a shower that... my hair is falling out." She explained. "The chemotherapy is doing it's job, though, so I shouldn't be complaining." Darla chuckled.

Darla ran a hand through her hair and pulled it out to find a large clump of her dark brown hair tangled in between her fingers. She frowned threw the hairs into the trash can, a look of disgust soon occupying her face. "I'll be bald within the next week."

Eve didn't know what to say, so instead, she told her mother that things would get better and helped her to bed. After helping Darla, she walked into her room and sat atop her bed, her fingers playing with strands of her hair.

She looked down at her hair for a few seconds. She hadn't gotten a hair cut in a long while, it had been more than six months perhaps...? It was long now, almost reaching her mid-back.

Without another thought, she reached for her laptop and got online. Her cellphone buzzed with a new text and she got it out, reading it with interest.

_Hey, do you want to hang out tomorrow? We haven't seen each other in a while. — Jacob_

She immediately texted him back with her reply.

_Sorry, I have plans for tomorrow. Maybe another time...? — Eve_

_Oh, alright. I thought your mom only had chemo done twice a week, though? — Jacob_

_She does, but I need to do something tomorrow. It's important. Sorry. — Eve_

_Okay. I love you. Goodnight. — Jacob_

_I love you, too. Goodnight and sleep tight. — Eve_

After sending the final text to Jacob, she found what she was looking for online. She called the number and made the first appointment for the next morning, feeling satisfied after hanging up the phone. Eve realized that she would have to have someone watching her mother while she was away and then quickly rang Emily before it got any later.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Emily, it's Eve calling." Eve greeted.

"Oh, hello, Eve, how are things?"

"Pretty good, could be better, but I'll get what I can take, you know?" She answered. "How about yourself?"

"Things on my end are pretty good, too."

"I'm glad to hear it," Eve sincerely replied with a small smile, even though Emily couldn't see it. "Emily, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can you possibly take care of my mom tomorrow? I'm going to doing something and I don't want to leave her alone."

"Yes, of course I will. Bring her anytime you want, I'm up at the crack of dawn." Emily laughed.

"Great, thanks so much, Emily!"

"Happy to help. Well, I'm going to head to bed now, Eve. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Emily."

With that, Eve hung up the call and placed her cell phone on it's charger. She closed her laptop after shutting it down and climbed into bed with a smile. She was excited about tomorrow.

The next morning, Eve woke up early. She took a shower and got out quickly with a towel around her torso, rushing into her room and getting dressed as fast as she could. Rushing back into the bathroom, Eve began to blow dry her hair and brush it out, leaving it soft, silky and straight.

When Eve left the bathroom, Darla was walking out of her bedroom. "Morning, Mom, need help?"

"No, no, I'm fine, Eve. Thank you, though."

Eve hesitantly left her mother and continued getting ready in her room. After getting her shoes on and applying some light make up, she was ready. Eve found her mother already dressed and downstairs sitting in her wheelchair, watching a random television game show.

"Mom, um, I'm going to be doing something today, so I was going to take you over to Emily's. Is that alright?"

"Yes, it's fine. When did you want to leave?"

"Right now."

"Okay, then." Darla nodded and then wheeled herself towards the door.

After loading up the car, Eve drove the Yukon down the small asphalt road towards Sam's and Emily's home. When they arrived, Eve took out the wheelchair and placed it upon the porch, rushing back to help Darla out of the car and up the few stairs, soon setting her down into the chair and wheeling her inside.

"Morning Emily," Darla and Eve greeted in unison.

Emily laughed heartily at the greeting before smiling at the two of them. "Good morning, Eve, Darla. Want some breakfast?"

"That would be great, thank you, Emily." Darla said.

"No thanks, I've gotta head out. I have a bit of a drive to do."

"Well, here," Emily said, and reached for a muffin on the table, wrapping it up in a napkin. "At least take this in case you get hungry."

"Thank you, Em," Eve smiled, and hugged her tightly.

"Be safe driving, Eve." Darla said.

"I will, bye, Mom, Emily." She gave her mom a quick hug and a wave to Emily as she made her way out the door and into someone's chest.

She looked up and found those brown orbs she loved and smiled instantly. "Jake." She sighed out and wrapped her arms around his torso, him doing the same with her.

"I've missed you so much, Eve." He sighed out into the crook of her neck.

The two of them walked down towards the car and Jacob smiled down at her. "So what are you doing here, Eve?"

"I dropped my mom off with Emily for the day." she answered. "What about yourself?"

"I come over for Emily's breakfast sometimes."

"I feel slightly betrayed." Eve joked.

Jacob kissed the top of her head and hugged her tightly. "Don't let her know that I love your cooking more." He whispered into her ear, causing Eve to smile and laugh softly.

"I'll try." She replied. "I've gotta get going right now, but I don't wanna leave you. Do you wanna come?"

Jacob frowned. "I wish I could, but... I have to run some errands."

"You told me last night that you were free."

"Yes, but something just came up." He told her quickly. "I didn't expect it."

"Oh, okay... well, I have to get going."

"I love you, Eve."

"Love you, too." Eve replied.

Eve got into her car with haste and started it up after buckling herself in. She wasn't happy. Again with his errands...!_You're being childish._Eve concluded, beginning to become annoyed with her selfishness._He's just... busy._Her thoughts wondered to him having some other girl with him and she gripped the steering wheel with enough grip that her knuckles turned white.

"Stop being so damn paranoid!" Eve yelled. "He wouldn't cheat on you!"

Eve then blasted the Yukon's radio to take her mind off things as she drove. Thankfully, it worked, and the only thing she concentrated on, was the road and the lyrics to the songs she sang along with.

Eve arrived at the salon she made the appointment with, and parked the back parking garage. After getting off the car and entering the building, she walked towards the receptionist.

"Hello, do you have an appointment?"

"Yes, my name's Evangeline, I'm scheduled for ten-thirty with Lisa."

The blond haired girl looked down at the tablet in front of her and looked back at Eve with a smile. "Oh yes, go ahead and take a seat on the third chair, Lisa's just getting ready."

"Thanks."

Eve then made her way towards the third chair and sat upon it slowly, placing her bag atop her lap comfortably. Soon, a fair skinned woman with chestnut hair in a tight ponytail approached her.

"Hello, I'm Lisa. I take it you're Evangeline, my ten-thirty?" She inquired with a warm smile.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Lisa agreed, leaning up against the counter in front of Eve. "So how much do you want to cut off?"

"About eleven inches. Will that be enough?"

"Oh yes, the minimum is ten inches." Lisa nodded. "We'll make the wig here right away, though it may take a while to complete. It might take an hour or two at the most."

"Sounds perfect."

"Great, let's get started, shall we?"

Lisa led Eve to another chair in the back of the salon where she had her hair washed once again. After wrapping the stringy mess into a towel, the two of them walked back towards the third chair, Lisa soon getting out her scissors and cutting away Eve's locks.

Eve looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. She hoped that her mother would love this...

After waiting two hours, the wig was completed and Eve picked it up from the receptionist. "I think what you're doing is so amazing." The girl told Eve. "It's so nice of you to donate your hair to make a wig for your mom. She's lucky to have you."

"Thank you." Eve smiled gratefully.

The girl simply nodded and smiled. "I hope she loves it, and I hope she gets better!"

"Thanks so much for the well wishes and for helping make this."

"Happy to help." She replied.

After exchanging goodbyes, Eve left the building and scurried off to the Yukon, getting in and starting it up. She was soon heading down the highway back towards La Push.

Eve parked the car in front of Emily's house and got off, walking up the porch stairs and into the homey building. Darla and Emily sat at the dining table, and Eve could see Embry and Dylan cuddled up together on the couch, both of them asleep. The sight caused her to smile, she was really happy that her sister had found someone.

"Mom, are you ready to go?"

"Hm? Oh hello, Eve!" Darla smiled and hugged her daughter tightly. "Yes, dear, I am. Emily, we have to do this again sometime. Thank you so much for everything."

"Yea, thanks for taking care of my mom while I was away. I really appreciate it." Eve agreed.

"It wasn't a problem." Emily replied with her usual caring smile. "Be safe driving home."

"Thanks, Em."

Eve loaded up her mom into the car and began to short drive home in silence. When Eve parked the car, she looked over at her mom who was staring right back at her.

"You got a hair cut..." She noted. "I like it."

"Thanks."

"Was that all you did? Where did you go anyways?"

"I went to Seattle."

"All the way out there for a mere hair cut?"

"It's not the only thing." Eve replied, and reached into the bag that sat between them, pulling out the wig. "I used the hair I cut to make you a wig. I know that the chemo making you lose your hair isn't he easiest thing for you emotionally, and I just wanted to do this for you, mom, because I know that you would do the same thing for me."

Darla's eyes were filled to the brim with tears and she hugged her daughter tighter than she ever had before. "Oh, Eve. I love you so much, but you shouldn't have done this. You shouldn't be sacrificing more for me when you already do so much."

"I want to, mom. You mean the world to me and I want to make sure that you're happy."

"Oh Eve," Darla sobbed. "Bringing you into my life... was truly the best thing that ever happened."

"I love you, mom."

"I love you, too, honey... so, so,_so_much."

Another month had gone by, and things were still the same. Not perfect, but not horrible. The Blair family was getting by, and that was really all that mattered. Darla's chemotherapy was going fine with her two visits once a week, and Eve's relationship with Jacob was getting better as they began to see each other one or two days a week.

Eve had just finished washing the dishes and cleaning up the mess from dinner when her phone received a text message. She opened the message and read it to herself.

_Do you want to hang out right now? — Jacob_

_I can't. I've got to take care of my mom. — Eve_

_Oh, alright then. I miss you. We have to get together again. — Jacob_

Eve felt a pang in her chest. She hated saying no to Jacob, but both of them knew that Darla's health was much more important than their relationship. She wished her mom had never gotten the disease, things would probably be picture perfect if it never happened. However, Eve wasn't blaming her mother for the way things were, she would never do such a thing.

_Maybe I could call Emily..._Eve thought, and so she dialed Emily's number. After the two chatted, Eve hung up with a frown. Emily was busy with Sam making final preparations for their up and coming wedding and wasn't able to. She thought of another person and dialed another number, Sue Clearwater soon answering the call. Once more, the answer wasn't in her favor and so she hung up the phone with a sigh.

"Thanks for your time, Sue. Goodbye."

"Eve, what were you doing?"

She spun around to see Darla standing there in the door frame, a curious look upon her face. "Nothing, mom."

"I'm not buying it. Why were you calling Sue?"

Eve sighed and plopped down onto the chair at the table. "I was trying to see if someone could look after you while I went out with Jacob. No one can though, so... I'll just stay home."

"Evangeline, you're going."

"But mom—!"

"_No_, buts. You're going. You give up so much of your free time to take care of me, and it isn't fair or right. You're losing so much time to be with Jacob and your friends. You deserve time off. Besides, I'll be fine."

Eve gave her mom a smile and engulfed her in a hug. "Thanks mom."

"Go have fun, honey."

Eve then rushed past her mom and upstairs into her room, sending a quick text to Jacob saying that she'd be over in a few minutes. She changed out of her sweats and baggy t-shirt and into nicerclothesbefore dashing out the door with a fast goodbye to her mom who was laughing to herself as she watched it all unfold.

When she arrived at Jacob's house, she killed the engine with haste and jogged up to his front door, knocking out it twice before waiting. The door opened and Jacob stood before her, a large grin on his face.

"Hey Eve," He greeted, and engulfed her in a large hug, picking her up in the air as he did so and bringing her in. He set her back down on the ground and placed a kiss on her lips delicately. "I'm so happy you could come."

"Me too," She agreed with a smile. "So what are we doing?"

"Well, I rented a movie for us to watch. Quil and Claire watched it together and he said it was nice."

"What is it?"

"The Princess and The Frog."

"You're going to sit through it?"

"Yes, I am." He chuckled.

Eve plopped down onto his couch and after inserting the DVD and pressing play, so did Jacob, pulling her into his body comfortably. The movie was, in fact, nice. Eve was enjoying herself. As anothersongbegan to play, Jacob's voice sang along with the firefly.

"_Look how she lights up the sky,_  
_Ma Belle Evangeline._  
_So far above me yet I,_  
_Know her heart belongs to only me._  
_J'et adore, J'et aime Evangeline,_  
_You're my queen of the night,_  
_So still,_  
_So bright._  
_That someone as beautiful as_ _she,_  
_Could love someone like me._  
_Love always finds a way it's true!_  
_And I love you, Evangeline._  
_Love is beautiful,_  
_Love is wonderful!_  
_Love is everything, do you agree?_  
_Mais' oui!_  
_Look how she lights up the sky,_  
_I love you, Evangeline_"

Eve blushed darkly and kissed Jacob's lips tenderly, enjoying the sensation of them together. She pulled away and buried her face into the nook of his neck. "I love you, Jacob."

For the rest of the movie, the two of them cuddled closer together than they originally were and Jacob would kiss the top of her head occasionally. When the credits began to roll, Eve checked the time, finding it to be nearing midnight.

"I've gotta go home." She sighed, and got up along with Jacob.

"Alright, drive carefully." Jacob replied, and kissed her lips quickly. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Jacob walked her to the Yukon, and helped her inside like a gentleman. From the porch, he watched her back out and drive down the street, her taillights slowly fading away. He was glad that she had opted for leaving, he didn't want to have to tell her to leave. He looked at the clock and noticed that it was now officially midnight as the clock's big hand moved to the middle. He sighed before walking into his room and changing clothes. It seemed it was time for him to run more patrols... or errands as he had told Eve.

When Eve arrived home, she walked inside with a smile on her face.

That smile was wiped off instantly at the sight she saw and she let out a scream of terror.

Darla was sprawled on the floor at the bottom of the staircase, not moving and silent. She sprinted to her mother's side and checked for a pulse immediately. When she felt nothing she let out a sob as she grabbed her phone from her pocket, fumbling with the object before dialing the three digits.

"911. What is your emergency?"

"My mother fell down the staircase, isn't breathing and doesn't have a pulse!_Please_send an ambulance quickly!"

"What's the address?"

After giving the address, Eve hung up the phone and sobbed, not knowing quite what to do. The door burst open and Jacob ran into the room.

"Eve, what happened?"

"She fell, she's not breathing, and she doesn't have a pulse!" Eve sobbed out.

Jacob knelt down beside Darla's body and checked for a pulse just as Eve had done. "Eve, I'm going to do CPR on her." He mumbled, and immediately began the process, breathing out air into her lungs and pushing down on her chest.

Much to Eve's displeasure, it took the paramedics ten agonizingly long minutes for them to arrive. They quickly loaded Darla onto the stretcher and placed her into the vehicle, the EMTs getting into the vehicle as well. Eve went to get into the ambulance, but one EMT told her otherwise.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you in."

"Why?"

"The longer we talk, the less chances she has."

With a grimace, Eve got off and watched the EMTs drive off. Jacob put a hand on her shoulder to let her know that he was there, and Eve shrugged it off. She rushed towards the Yukon and got inside, sitting down in the driver's seat and starting the engine.

Jacob was about to jump into the passenger seat when he heard a loud howl from the trees, a certain ring of authority embedded in the wolf's cry._Damn Sam...!_He cursed and backed away from the car, heading towards the trees.

"Jake, aren't you coming?" Eve shouted out at him, and a pang of guilt surged through his body when he could make out all the pain and hurt that was in her quivering voice.

"I can't. I have stuff to do."

"Yea, more '_errands_', right?" She snapped.

Jacob didn't reply to her, and his heart broke in two when she backed out in silence and sped down the street after the ambulance towards Forks General. As he continued walking, the anger was building up inside him. When he passed a large tree, he stopped walking and then punched the bark, leaving a large indent.

_I can't keep up this façade. I have to tell her what's going on._

After driving for what seemed like an eternity, Eve parked in the parking garage and sprinted inside the building. When she received the sticker and found out the room that her mom was in, she went dashing down the hallway.

She walked inside the room with haste and gasped as she saw the sight. Darla was on the bed looking paler than before with cords and IVs stuck inside in body. Carlisle and other nurses and doctors surrounded her bed with emotionless faces. Carlisle was putting away the defibrillator, a look of pure failure on his face. The long and monotone beep that sounded from the heart monitor taunted Eve, and the flat line she witnessed only made it worse.

Carlisle turned and saw her there, making him even more distraught. "I'm so sorry, Eve. There was just nothing that we could do."

Eve didn't want to hear it. Instead, she darted from the room as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her mom was gone. She was dead.

And Eve began to wonder, was there anything still holding her here to La Push...?

The drive home was quiet and only made Eve cry that much harder. It felt wrong to be leaving her mom at the hospital. It felt wrong to feel such a loneliness consume her being.

When Eve got home, she killed the engine and hopped out of the car, stalking up the ramp and into her house, slamming the door shut with such force part of the wall shook. She ran up the staircase and into her room.

What was she to do with herself?

Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, letting herself finally cry her heart out. There was a pounding downstairs on the front door and she heard his muffled voice.

"Eve! Let me inside!"

She contemplated. After he had left her, claiming he had other things to do, she didn't want to see him at the moment. Eve felt like he had just cast her aside in her moment of need.

Eve stood up and slowly descended the staircase, walking towards the front door that Jacob continued to hammer upon. She reached for the door handle and pulled the door open, Jacob rushing in and enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Eve, I'm so sorry about Darla."

She didn't return his hug and, in fact, attempted to get out of it. When Jacob realized her true intentions, he pulled away and stared at her in confusion.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"We can't be together anymore."

Jacob stared at her in shock, and he took a step back as his heart began to break. "Wha..._what_?"

"We can't be together anymore. We're... we're over."

"Eve,_where_the_hell_is this all coming from? We'll get through Darla's death together. I'll help you...!"

"Oh, like you did when I went to the hospital right now...?!" Eve yelled. "Sorry if I don't want to be with someone who deserts me when I need him the most...!"

"There was_nothing_I could do!"

"You could've stayed! You could've acted like you fucking cared!"

"Eve, you don't understand!"

"Well, then tell me so I_do_understand!" She shouted. "I want to understand why you always have so much to do now!"

"I can't tell you..." Jacob replied through gritted teeth.

"Then don't expect me to be here tomorrow." She said. "Because there's_nothing_holding me here anymore."

With that, she slammed the front door in his face and walked away, ignoring his hand slamming down upon the door and his shouts for her to come back.

She wasn't coming back after she left.

Not to La Push...

And_not_to Jacob Black.


	24. Chapter 24

**Twenty-four**

Dylan watched Eve pack up her remaining articles of clothes into her last suitcase and sigh after she zipped it up. Eve placed the luggage onto the floor and pulled up the plastic handle from the top. She turned to her sister and wiped away one or two beads of sweat that had collected on her brow.

"Well, that's all of it."

"Yup." Dylan replied, popping the "p" at the end. "So... what's going to happen to this house?"

Eve looked around her room, as if expecting for the answer to be on one of the walls. Her eyes landed upon Dylan once more and it clicked. Eve's hands reached into her pant pocket and pulled out the silver key, handing it over to Dylan. "I know that you're still boarding up in Embry's house... so here. That way you have a place to call your own while you're still staying. Just keep it clean and don't do _anything _with Embry in my room, that's all I'm asking."

Dylan smiled sadly and nodded her head in understanding. "I got it. Thank you, Eve."

Eve just nodded her head and dismissed the matter. "Let's go, my flight to LA is leaving soon."

The two sisters then descended the staircase and walked out of the home, Dylan locking the front door with the key to her new home. After loading up the final piece of luggage into the Yukon, they got in and Dylan turned the key in the ignition. They were both then speeding down the asphalt road towards Port Angeles Airport.

While they headed away from La Push, Eve was confused by her emotions. She wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad. Should she be happy that she would be once again getting on track with her work as a model? Or should she be sad because it was her mother's death and her boyfriend's lack of commitment that led her back to her job?

When they arrived at the airport, Dylan helped Eve get her two suitcases out of the back trunk. They turned to each other and gave one another a long hug.

"When are you gonna come back to LA, Dyl?"

"I don't know, Eve. I don't know." She sighed. "I don't wanna leave, Embry. It's weird. I've never fallen for a guy this fast or this hard. It's kind of scary to be honest." Eve only nodded her head to let her know that she understood. She didn't want to talk about relationships after she had just gotten out of one. "Make sure that you call or text me when you land. I wanna hear how the flight goes. Tell mom and dad I say hi and that I miss them."

"I will. Goodbye Dyl... don't be a stranger."

"I promise you, I won't. Goodbye, Eve. Have a safe flight."

Eve pulled her two suitcases away from the curb and towards the building entrance, stopping before the doors and watching Dylan and the Yukon drive away from her and soon becoming out of sight. She began to turn back around and stopped halfway.

Jacob stood a mere twenty feet away from her — if even that, his face forlorn, yet full of longing. Her eyes took in everything. His usual black shirt that fit tightly around his muscular build, the black leather jacket that he had lent her on occasion, his brown eyes that didn't have the same familiar sparkle — which, in a way, she felt responsible for, and his jet black hair that was tousled, just as she always liked it. The last thing her eyes fell upon was a single red rose that he held in his hands as he stared at her.

It was like a movie. She couldn't see anyone else around her, the surroundings faded to white, and she could only see Jacob. The distance that separated them seemed farther than before, and she didn't like it one bit.

He took a step forward and she remembered something...

He had left her in her moment of need. He wasn't there for her and she felt like she had been tossed to the side carelessly. If Jacob had really loved her, he wouldn't have left her...

_I don't want to feel like that again..._ She concluded,, and turned her head, taking the handles on the suitcases and walking a few steps inside the building before coming to a halt. _But I don't know if anyone else can make me feel like he did..._ She shook her head and let out a shaky sigh.

"What am I _doing_...?" She mumbled to herself.

She let go of her luggage and retreated back outside to find Jacob now gone. She looked around frantically, her eyes darting around the scene before her, but he had vanished. Eve looked at where he had stood moments before and found the rose that he had once held in his hands lying on the floor. The feet of others that stomped by the precious flower made her heart quiver and tremble with fear, afraid that they wouldn't see the delicate object and step on it.

Eve made her way over to the flower, not caring that she was leaving her luggage behind, and knelt down beside it, taking it into her grasp and standing up. She examined the ruby red petals that were smooth as silk and felt wondrous on her skin as she used her thumb and index finger to feel them.

She then took notice of a small white note card that was attached to the flower, tears forming in her eyes as she read his written words.

"_Is that love I see in your eyes... or merely a reflection of mine...?_"

Eve once again scanned the area around her with her eyes, searching frantically for him, hoping that he was still here, hoping that she could make things right once again.

Eve sighed and held the rose close to her as she walked back to her luggage. She took a seat on a nearby bench and stared at the bud with adoration. Eve lifted it up and smelled the flower, letting herself indulge in it's sweet scent.

If this was going to be Jacob's final gift to her... 

She hoped that she would always be able to remember the way he made her feel when she read his final words.


	25. Chapter 25

**Twenty-five**

Eve stared at the large mansion like house she once knew as home before leaving for La Push. It was time to once again call this place as such.

Anthony helped Eve get her luggage from the back and she carried it up the brick pathway and to the front door. She opened the door and stepped inside, her suitcases following after her. She looked around and wondered where her dad and step-mom were.

As if Anthony read her mind, he turned to her with a small smile. "Mr. Saunders is in his study and Mrs. Saunders is at a meeting down at the office building."

"Thank you, Anthony."

"Would you like for me to take your things to your room?"

"Yes please, Anthony! Thanks!" Eve called as she darted off towards her dad's study.

When she entered the study room, she saw her dad looking the same as always as he sat behind his desk, typing away on his laptop. She smiled at the sight and Eve rushed over to him. As he heard her footsteps he looked up, smiling at his daughter when he saw her, soon it faltered and he engulfed her in a tight hug.

"Oh, Eve... I've missed you, honey." He cooed in her ear.

"I've missed you, too, dad."

"And Eve... I'm sorry about Darl... I'm sorry about _mom_. Honestly... I miss her a lot, too. I wish that I could've gotten to ask her for her forgiveness for all the wrong that I've done her."

Eve felt tears prick her eyes and she nuzzled her face into his chest to hide them. "I miss her so much, dad...!" She sobbed. "I hated leaving her at the hospital! I felt so horrible!"

He shushed her softly in an attempt to soothe her somehow. "I know honey, I know. It's just another part of life, unfortunately." He said, and then he looked over at the clock that hung on the wall. "Joanne should be here any—"

"Evan...!"

"There she is." He smiled, looking down at Eve. Footsteps could be heard approaching the room and then the blond haired woman entered with a smile.

"Eve, you're here!" She exclaimed, making her way over and engulfing her step-child in a hug. "I've missed you so much. And... I'm truly sorry about your mom. And I know that I will never amount to her, and that I will never be your true mom, but... I will always be here for you to rely on."

"Thank you, Joanne... I appreciate it." Eve replied with a grateful smile as she wiped a few tears away.

"Of course." Joanne helped Eve clear away the few tears and then turned to her husband, planting a kiss on his cheek and hugging him as well. "Well, it's time for dinner, so why don't we all go to the table?"

"Sounds good." Evan agreed.

Eve simply gave a nod of the head before she trailed behind the couple towards the dining room. Eve helped set the table and after they were finished, they sat down to eat. It was quiet for the most part. Evan and Joanne doing most of the talking as they talked about how work had been going.

"So how was the business meeting, Joanne?" Evan asked.

"Oh it went great!" She said enthusiastically, taking a drink from her glass. "Eve, today I went to a meeting and I have great news. I've managed to get you into The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show!"

Eve coughed on her water and looked up at Joanne in shock. "Really...?!" She gasped.

"Really!' Joanne nodded.

"What about Dylan, is she going to be in it, too?"

"I asked her, and she said no for some odd reason. I was surprised. She's been dreaming of an opportunity like this for some time now, but she said... there was something more important than the show back in that small town."

"Oh..." Eve sighed, and she knew why Dylan had said no. She didn't want to leave Embry behind.

"Eve, there's something I've been wanting to tell you since you got back." Her dad sighed, wiping his mouth with his napkin before making eye contact with his daughter.

"What is it?"

"While your mother was here with Joanne and I for her surgery, she and I met with my lawyers. We made her will and got it finalized. Also, she told me that she would like to be buried in La Push, the ceremony will be held in two days time. People have already been given the information and many have already made their RSVPs."

It was silent and Eve nodded. "Alright..." She mumbled, and got up from her seat. "I'm going up to my room to start unpacking and then go to bed. It's been a long day. Goodnight."

Eve's parents said goodnight back and began to clean the table as Eve ascended the staircase. She walked down the familiar hallway and into the room she used to inhabit. It was exactly the same as she left it, and in a way, it was comforting. She saw that Anthony had left her suitcases on her bed and she made a mental note to thank him for doing so.

She walked over to the luggage and then began to unpack. Eve put all her clothes back where they had once resided and things looked better than they had when she had left for La Push all those months ago. Once Eve was finished, she flopped onto her bed and stared at her ceiling.

She didn't know what was going to happen when she went back to La Push for the funeral. Would she have a breakdown or would she act as if she didn't care around the people she had left behind without even a goodbye...?

Her thoughts went to Jacob and she wondered what he was doing right now. Was he off running more errands, hanging out with the guys and her sister at Emily's and Sam's, or could he possibly be thinking about her, too? She sighed sadly and turned on her side, eyeing the cell phone that rested upon the nightstand with hopefulness that it would start buzzing and ringing with life with a call from Jacob.

Thinking about him was emotionally painful, but she couldn't help herself...

"What the hell..." She muttered, and her arm extended out and her hand snatched up the phone.

She dialed his cell phone first, and with no luck, tried his house phone next. She sighed with relief when it was answered, but was a bit sad to hear Billy's voice instead of Jacob's.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Billy, it's Evangeline."

"Oh, uh, hello, Eve." He sighed out, almost reluctant to continue the call. "What can I do for you?"

"Is Jacob there at all?"

Billy sighed into the receiver and furrowed his eyebrow. "I'm sorry, Eve, he isn't here at the moment." He told her. He, himself, began to wonder where his son could be. He just hoped that another broken relationship hadn't sent him over the edge. He prayed that he would see his son soon, and not have to worry about him for such a long time like he had to almost a year ago when Bella Swan had rejected him for the vampire. "I'll have him call you when I see him. Goodbye, Eve, take care."

Eve stared at the phone in disbelief and she felt guilty for turning away at the airport. Why did she have to do something so stupid...? Why did she hope that he would chase after her if she had left...? 

Why did she feel like she had just made the biggest mistake of her _life_...?


	26. Chapter 26

**Twenty-seven**

_Hey, Lily told me you had some time off right now. Want to get together for coffee?_

Eve smiled at the inquiry and bit her lip as she thought about his offer. She laughed lightly to herself before sending her own reply.

_Sure. Where?_

_Just come outside._

She scrunched up her nose in confusion before shrugging her shoulders. She slipped on her shoes, grabbing her purse in the process, and descended the staircase, soon walking out her front door.

Chris stood before her, leaning up against his sleek, silver Mercedes with his usual grin occupying his lips. She smiled and immediately made her way over to her close guy-friend, enveloping him in a hug that he happily returned.

He opened up the door for her and she got inside the vehicle. He walked around and got in himself and started the car, soon driving away from Eve's home and down the streets of Beverly Hills. They listened to the radio and chit chatted over how the few days had been and soon Chris pulled up to the curb of Katsuya, a very elegant, a very _expensive _Japanese style restaurant.

"I thought you said coffee?" Eve questioned.

"Well, it's nearing lunch time, so why not?"

"I'm not even _dressed_ for a place like this!"

"Oh, no one will even notice." He replied after they both got off and handed the keys to a valet.

They walked up the few stairs and entered the building. Chris approached the hostess with a smile. "Hello, reservation for two under Smith." After checking, the woman smiled with a nod and led them to a table on the second floor with a view of the dining area below. She handed them menus, wished them a good meal, and then left without another word.

"You had this planned the entire time, didn't you?" Eve interrogated.

"Pretty much." Chris nodded with a smug smile.

"Well, I must say, this is very nice. Thank you, for bringing me here."

"My pleasure."

Eve and Chris had a nice lunch. Eve could never manage to wipe the smile off her face. Chris was just a breath of fresh air to her. She hadn't had this much fun since she was with Jacob.

Speaking of him, she hadn't remained in contact since he called her. She was still a little upset, but she was getting over it. Although when she would eventually forget about the issue, she probably wouldn't call him to find out what he had wanted in the first place. Life right now was sweet, and she didn't want to ruin it by bringing him back into the picture.

Once the bill was paid and they were on their way out of the restaurant, Chris talked to the valet about the car and he ran off to go fetch it immediately. Chris walked over to Eve and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into him and kissing the side of her head, causing her to give a small smile and laugh softly to herself.

And just like that..._chaos_ erupted.

"Evangeline! Evangeline! Are you and Chris together...?!" Paparazzi seemed to come at them from all sides, shouting questions about their relationship furiously.

The car was brought around in the nick of time and they got inside quickly. Chris then sped off into the distance, driving Eve back home. The ride back seemed to take a shorter amount of time than the ride going, but she didn't mind it much. They both got off the car and Chris walked her to the door like a gentleman.

"I'm sorry about the paparazzi." He apologized. "It was stupid of me to not consider that they could be out there."

"Don't be sorry, it just comes with the territory." She replied. "Either way, I still had an amazing time with you."

He smiled and looked down at his feet, looking somewhat nervous.

"Eve...?"

"Yes, Chris?"

"I like you a lot, and I was wondering if you'd... like to be my girlfriend?"

The gears in her mind stopped moving and it all was at a standstill. _What...?_ She snapped out of it immediately and chuckled softly. "Let me think about it... alright?"

He looked a little surprised, but nodded with a smile all the same. "Sure, just... let me know. I'm sorry if I caught you off guard."

"No, no, it's fine. I've gotta do some work inside. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Yea, sure. Bye." Chris gave a small smile and then went back to his car, getting in and driving off.

Eve was glad that he had taken it so well, but she couldn't help but feel guilty and somewhat relieved that she had asked for some time. Eve walked upstairs and into her room, flopping onto her bed and sighing into the pillow.

One thing that she was hoping for, was that those pictures the paparazzi took wouldn't go viral on the internet...

Dylan sat upon the couch in Emily's living room, looking through new gossip articles on her iPod Touch. Then she read the newest article title: "_Pictures: Evangeline Blair and Chris Smith: New celebrity couple?_"

She looked through the few pictures the site had to offer and jumped in her seat when she heard Jacob's voice.

"Whatcha looking at?"

"N-no-nothing!" She stammered unconvincingly. _Nice job, Dylan. Always the smooth one._

"Yea, right. Let me see."

She quickly locked the device and smirked victoriously. "Sorry." She replied, placing it onto the coffee table and getting up to use the bathroom.

As soon as she was out of sight, Jacob smirked and shook his head in disapproval. He picked up the device and punched in her numerical password. _She's really got to think up a new password. 1234 just isn't cutting it._ He chuckled.

Then he suddenly found himself wishing that he had never wanted to be nosy in the first place. He stared at the pictures of Eve and her new boyfriend, Chris. She looked happy, but he was just a little disappointed that he couldn't be the one to make her smile like that. He locked the iPod and placed it where it had been originally.

Jacob smiled sadly to himself and walked out of the house, deciding he would get an early start on his patrol shift. 

_As long as she's happy..._


	27. Chapter 27

**Twenty-seven**

_Hey, Lily told me you had some time off right now. Want to get together for coffee?_

Eve smiled at the inquiry and bit her lip as she thought about his offer. She laughed lightly to herself before sending her own reply.

_Sure. Where?_

_Just come outside._

She scrunched up her nose in confusion before shrugging her shoulders. She slipped on her shoes, grabbing her purse in the process, and descended the staircase, soon walking out her front door.

Chris stood before her, leaning up against his sleek, silver Mercedes with his usual grin occupying his lips. She smiled and immediately made her way over to her close guy-friend, enveloping him in a hug that he happily returned.

He opened up the door for her and she got inside the vehicle. He walked around and got in himself and started the car, soon driving away from Eve's home and down the streets of Beverly Hills. They listened to the radio and chit chatted over how the few days had been and soon Chris pulled up to the curb of Katsuya, a very elegant, a very _expensive _Japanese style restaurant.

"I thought you said coffee?" Eve questioned.

"Well, it's nearing lunch time, so why not?"

"I'm not even _dressed_ for a place like this!"

"Oh, no one will even notice." He replied after they both got off and handed the keys to a valet.

They walked up the few stairs and entered the building. Chris approached the hostess with a smile. "Hello, reservation for two under Smith." After checking, the woman smiled with a nod and led them to a table on the second floor with a view of the dining area below. She handed them menus, wished them a good meal, and then left without another word.

"You had this planned the entire time, didn't you?" Eve interrogated.

"Pretty much." Chris nodded with a smug smile.

"Well, I must say, this is very nice. Thank you, for bringing me here."

"My pleasure."

Eve and Chris had a nice lunch. Eve could never manage to wipe the smile off her face. Chris was just a breath of fresh air to her. She hadn't had this much fun since she was with Jacob.

Speaking of him, she hadn't remained in contact since he called her. She was still a little upset, but she was getting over it. Although when she would eventually forget about the issue, she probably wouldn't call him to find out what he had wanted in the first place. Life right now was sweet, and she didn't want to ruin it by bringing him back into the picture.

Once the bill was paid and they were on their way out of the restaurant, Chris talked to the valet about the car and he ran off to go fetch it immediately. Chris walked over to Eve and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into him and kissing the side of her head, causing her to give a small smile and laugh softly to herself.

And just like that..._chaos_ erupted.

"Evangeline! Evangeline! Are you and Chris together...?!" Paparazzi seemed to come at them from all sides, shouting questions about their relationship furiously.

The car was brought around in the nick of time and they got inside quickly. Chris then sped off into the distance, driving Eve back home. The ride back seemed to take a shorter amount of time than the ride going, but she didn't mind it much. They both got off the car and Chris walked her to the door like a gentleman.

"I'm sorry about the paparazzi." He apologized. "It was stupid of me to not consider that they could be out there."

"Don't be sorry, it just comes with the territory." She replied. "Either way, I still had an amazing time with you."

He smiled and looked down at his feet, looking somewhat nervous.

"Eve...?"

"Yes, Chris?"

"I like you a lot, and I was wondering if you'd... like to be my girlfriend?"

The gears in her mind stopped moving and it all was at a standstill. _What...?_ She snapped out of it immediately and chuckled softly. "Let me think about it... alright?"

He looked a little surprised, but nodded with a smile all the same. "Sure, just... let me know. I'm sorry if I caught you off guard."

"No, no, it's fine. I've gotta do some work inside. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Yea, sure. Bye." Chris gave a small smile and then went back to his car, getting in and driving off.

Eve was glad that he had taken it so well, but she couldn't help but feel guilty and somewhat relieved that she had asked for some time. Eve walked upstairs and into her room, flopping onto her bed and sighing into the pillow.

One thing that she was hoping for, was that those pictures the paparazzi took wouldn't go viral on the internet...

Dylan sat upon the couch in Emily's living room, looking through new gossip articles on her iPod Touch. Then she read the newest article title: "_Pictures: Evangeline Blair and Chris Smith: New celebrity couple?_"

She looked through the few pictures the site had to offer and jumped in her seat when she heard Jacob's voice.

"Whatcha looking at?"

"N-no-nothing!" She stammered unconvincingly. _Nice job, Dylan. Always the smooth one._

"Yea, right. Let me see."

She quickly locked the device and smirked victoriously. "Sorry." She replied, placing it onto the coffee table and getting up to use the bathroom.

As soon as she was out of sight, Jacob smirked and shook his head in disapproval. He picked up the device and punched in her numerical password. _She's really got to think up a new password. 1234 just isn't cutting it._ He chuckled.

Then he suddenly found himself wishing that he had never wanted to be nosy in the first place. He stared at the pictures of Eve and her new boyfriend, Chris. She looked happy, but he was just a little disappointed that he couldn't be the one to make her smile like that. He locked the iPod and placed it where it had been originally.

Jacob smiled sadly to himself and walked out of the house, deciding he would get an early start on his patrol shift. 

_As long as she's happy..._


	28. Chapter 28

**Twenty-eight**

It had been a few days and Eve had around fifteen read text messages from Chris, yet she hadn't responded to any of them. She felt horrible for giving him the cold shoulder when he was such a nice guy, but she didn't know what to do. Alright... so she knew what she had to do, but she didn't want to do it.

She didn't want to tell him "No", that she didn't want a relationship at the moment. Or perhaps it wasn't that she didn't want a relationship at the moment, but she didn't want a relationship with _him_...

She wasn't sure. She actually wasn't sure of anything right now...

Her eyes scanned over her phone's calendar and took notice that it was December 12th, there were only three more days until she turned eighteen, until she was an adult. It would also be first birthday she would celebrate since the death of her mother. It wouldn't be the same...

Eve's thoughts traveled to Darla. She missed her mom, there really wasn't a day that she didn't think about her. Of course she tried to focus on the positive than on the negative.

Eve got up from her bed and sauntered out of her room. She headed down the halls and descended the staircase, heading into her father's study after knocking three times. She saw her father sitting at his desk, typing away on his laptop like he usually did.

"Dad...?" She called out.

He looked up at her through a new pair of rectangular black rimmed glasses. "Yes, Eve?"

"Um, I've been thinking about my birthday..." She began quietly.

"Yes, what is it? Did you want something?" He smiled.

Eve chuckled. "Well, kind of..." She replied, lamely shrugging her shoulders. She walked completely inside the room, closing the door behind her and sat down at a chair in front of the desk. "I was thinking about going to La Push to put flowers on mom's grave on my birthday. Would that be alright with you?"

"Well, I'm not going to tell you what you can and cannot do on your eighteenth birthday, Eve." Evan smiled. "I _was_ going to be taking you, Dylan and Joanne to dinner, but I think some strings can be pulled to have it the day before. I'll go ahead and book your flight right now, too."

Eve smiled and walked over to her dad, engulfing him in a quick hug. "Thanks, dad."

"You're welcome, Eve. Now I've gotta get back to work, honey."

Eve nodded her head in understanding and left the room, feeling happy that she would go and put flowers on her mom's grave on her birthday. There was just a sort of comfort in that that made her smile.

A few days later, Eve stood at LAX eagerly. "Dylan!" Eve grinned and ran up to her sister.

The step-sisters embraced one another and exchanged hellos. The pair then walked out of the building and loaded her suitcases into the back of the car, both of them getting in and driving away.

"Oh, I've missed you so much, Eve!"

"I've missed you, too, Dyl!"

"So, how've things been with your new beau? And I saw the pictures, so don't try to lie to me!"

"Chris and I aren't together, Dyl."

"Yea, right! I saw you all smiling! Besides, how can anyone not want to date a _Victoria's Secret_ model?"

"I'm not kidding, Dylan. Look through my texts if you don't believe me."

Dylan looked over at her sister puzzled. "Well, now that you say that I can believe you." She mumbled. "Why, though?"

"I don't know... I just, don't want a relationship right now. It feels like it will be too soon, I mean, I just got out of a relationship with Jacob."

"That was two months ago, Eve, maybe even longer. I don't mean to sound inconsiderate or anything, but I think it's best if you look for someone new."

"It's alright, and I guess I can try looking." Eve sighed tiredly, running a hand through her hair. "It's just going to feel so wrong." She whispered silently so Dylan wouldn't hear.

The rest of the day, the step-sisters spent it at the spa, getting their nails done and indulging in the relaxing atmosphere they put themselves in. Eve hadn't felt this good in what felt like forever, the only things missing were Jacob's large, muscular arms wrapping around her protectively and his voice whispering sweet nothings into her ears.

"Eve, are you alright...?" Dylan looked at Eve with concern.

It was then that Eve felt the small streaks of water on her cheeks. It didn't take her a second longer to realize that while she reminisced about Jacob she had begun to cry. "Nothing, Dyl." She insisted, wiping away the tears frantically. "It's just... I'm so glad that you're here. I hardly get to see you anymore."

Dylan knew that what her sister had told her was a lie, though she didn't mind it. She had seen the look on her face when she mentioned Jacob. There was a flash of distress, of loneliness. Embry had told Dylan that a pair of imprints that were separated was a horrible time to go through. Dylan had a few doubts, but now she knew. Eve was hurting and missing Jacob, her imprint. They needed one another...

Dylan didn't think they would make it much longer...

"Oh, alright. I am, too!" She replied with a fake giddy tone, playing along.

They went home after they finished up their manicures and got to looking for what they would wear to dinner later that night. Dylan ordered Eve to pick out something that would catch any man's attention, but Eve wasn't really trying. Dylan then shoved Eve onto her bed as she searched for her outfit.

Dylan then handed her a D&G black satin tutu dress and some black and silver heels. Eve was somehow relieved. She had thought that Dylan was going to make her go in some skimpy outfit. This wasn't that bad. Eve went into the bathroom and slipped into it along with the heels. She analyzed herself in the full-body mirror and smoothed out a few creases in the dress before heading back out.

Dylan was already dressed in her black and purple sequined dress and was slipping on her purple heels as Eve entered the room.

"That looks nice, Dylan, but don't you think it's a bit much? We're only going out to eat dinner."

"No, I think it's fine." She replied. "Look at you! You look so gorgeous!" Dylan then pointed to a chair that was placed in front of a vanity mirror. "Sit, I'll curl your hair with the straightener!" Eve obliged and sat down, her hair soon being taken into Dylan's hands. "I swear, Eve, you look so pretty. I never got around to it, but... Happy eighteenth birthday, baby sis."

"Thanks Dylan, but it's not my birthday till tomorrow." Eve chuckled.

"Eh, so what?"

After Dylan finished curling Eve's hair, they got their purses and went downstairs. Evan and Joanne were already there standing in their formal attire and they smiled at their children lovingly.

"You both look great." Joanne grinned.

"Our girls get more beautiful every time we see them." Evan agreed.

Eve and Dylan hugged their parents and the family then walked out. They all got into the GMC Yukon and Evan began to drive down the street. Eve wondered where they would be going for dinner. They left Beverly Hills and were soon entering Hollywood.

Eve began to daydream about La Push and what everyone was doing. She wondered if Emily and Sam were finishing up the preparations for their wedding. She wondered if any of them ever brought her up in conversation. Most importantly she wondered if Jacob thought of her as much as she thought of him...

"Here we are." Evan's voice snapped his daughter out of reality.

Dylan was off the car first and Eve scooted out through the same door, smoothing out her dress. Eve looked at her parents who remained in the car and looked at them in curiously.

"Aren't you coming?" She inquired.

"I think we're a bit too old for the clubbing scene, Eve." Joanne chuckled, pointing to a sign above the double doors that read _Boulevard3_.

"I thought we were going to dinner...?"

"Really, Eve? Celebrating your eighteenth by going out to dinner? That doesn't sound very memorable." Evan laughed heartily. "Joanne and I will be at dinner. Whenever you're ready to come home, just call Anthony's phone, he'll be waiting around the corner to pick you both up. We'll probably be asleep by the time you get home, so Happy Birthday, Eve."

"Yes, happy birthday!" Joanne agreed. "Have a great time tonight. You deserve it."

Eve smiled before nodding vigorously. "Thank you!"

After saying goodbye, the sisters entered the dramatic club and Eve couldn't smile bigger than she already was. She saw celebrities and a few friends she had made over the years. She saw flashing lights and felt the pounding of the bass. Her heart was pounding in her chest, it was as if it were trying to become synchronized with the music.

"EVE!"

Her head snapped to the side and saw Lily along with a few of the other Victoria's Secret models waving enthusiastically at her. Dylan and Eve smiled and didn't waste a second more to get over there. After some hellos, everyone wished Eve a happy birthday.

Eve couldn't help herself. "Hey, uh, Lily... do you know if Chris is here...?"

"Um, no, I don't think so. Not yet anyways. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Eve laughed it off and excused herself quickly.

After leaving her friends, she and Dylan went off to the dance floor where they did exactly that. As the clock was about to strike twelve, everyone counted down. As big hand landed upon the digit, everyone shouted "Happy Birthday" and confetti and streamers exploded all around.

Dylan led Eve out of the dance floor and to the bar. "And this is where the _real_ fun begins." She smirked, soon retrieving a few alcoholic beverages and handing one to Eve. 

Eve listened to the song that the DJ played and laughed lightly before nodding and singing a small part. "Bottoms up."


	29. Chapter 29

**Twenty-nine**

Eve groaned in pain as her hands went to her head, massaging it gently in an attempt to soothe her aching brain.

"I'm never drinking again for the rest of my life." She mumbled softly as she sat up in her bed.

She noticed another body next to her underneath the blankets. Slowly, she took hold of the fabric and brought it down to see who it was. Dylan was face down in one of Eve's pillows, snoring away softly.

Eve looked at the clock and noticed it was 7:50, the alarm programmed to go off at eight o'clock. _Better just wake her up myself instead of the clock._

Eve's hand then went to her sister's shoulder. "Dyl... Dyl, you gotta wake up now. It's time to wake up." Eve's voice whispered.

The older sister groaned and buried her head underneath the pillow. "Shut up, Eve. Lemme sleep."

"Dylan, you gotta wake up or else we'll miss the flight."

"What's your point?"

"If you don't get on that airplane, you're not gonna see Embry till January since I'm pretty sure all the flights are booked for Christmas."

The blond shot up straight, rolling out of bed and onto the floor with a hard thud. "I'm up!"

Eve smiled at her sister and got up as well from the bed. She walked over to her closet and began to think about what she should wear. Eve dug through her entire closet, but didn't find anything that she liked.

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders._Today's not going to be anything special. Besides, I'm just going to the airport._She decided, and then picked up some random clothes.

Eve headed into the bathroom and then hopped into the shower. As she scrubbed her body with her fruity body wash and hummed, she began to think about what she would do when she arrived at La Push, and more importantly what she would do if she ran into Jacob.

The simple thought of his name caused goosebumps to arise on her skin and a cold chill surge throughout her body.

_I'll just deal with whatever happens._ She concluded.

As she finished up her quick shower, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her torso, soon drying off with it minutes later. She got dressed in her casual clothes and walked out of the bathroom, hair still wet and wrapped up in a towel atop her head. Dylan was just barely getting her clothes together and then approached Eve.

"What do you think I should wear? I want to look nice for Embry when he picks us up!"

Eve looked at the choices her sister had shown her and shrugged. "Well, you look good in both of them, but I think that neither would be best for the weather." Eve replied while examining the thin, halter tops. "Why don't you wear the Astrid Henley t-Shirt that's in my closet? It's a long sleeve. Just wear it with some jeans and accessorize it with a belt around your waist. It'll look cute."

Dylan nodded furiously and then began to get the clothes together, making a mad dash to the bathroom for a morning shower. Eve laughed at her sister before she made her way over towards the large vanity mirror that was next to her dresser. Eve plugged in her hair dryer and then got to work, deciding that she would straighten her hair. After a few minutes, she turned off the machine and went to her suitcase. Eve placed a few days worth of clothes inside, along with a few different shoes, and zipped it up.

Dylan came out of the bathroom, looking refreshed and dressed, and made her way over to the dryer, doing the same thing that Eve had done moments earlier. When both girls were finished it was nearing nine o'clock.

Eve grabbed her carry on backpack, which held a few things to keep her entertained during the flight, and slung it over her shoulder, Dylan doing the same thing. The step-sisters then gathered their things and went downstairs and out the door, where Anthony was pulling the car around to the front.

"Good morning, Dylan, Eve." He greeted as he got out of the car, taking their luggage. "Happy 18th, Eve."

"Thank you, Anthony." Eve smiled and thanked him. "And good morning to you, too."

"Good morning, Anthony." Dylan replied.

After Anthony had loaded the luggage into the car, Evan and Joanne came out, giving their kids a hug goodbye. Evan squeezed Eve tightly and kissed the top of her head lovingly.

"Happy Birthday, Eve. I hope that today's going to be great for you. Be safe and have fun. Do me a favor and place a few flowers on Darla's grave for me, yeah?"

"Thanks, dad, and of course I'll put flowers."

"Great, thank you, Eve."

"Goodbye, dad."

"Bye, Eve, have a good flight."

The plane once more came into contact with the ground, slightly jerking everyone in the plane. It also caused for both Dylan and Eve to awake from their quick nap. Eve groaned in discomfort. The plane's engine was so loud and it wouldn't stop ringing in her ears. It was a miracle that she had even fell asleep in the first place.

Once the airplane came to a full and complete stop, Dylan and Eve remained seated, deciding that they would leave last so they wouldn't have to deal with the chaos of everyone standing up at the same time. As a majority disembarked the plane, they then took their turn, grabbing their things and quickly walking off the craft as well. After receiving their luggage from baggage claim, they headed out and onto the street, beginning to search for Embry.

Eve realized that they didn't need to search for long since Embry came up behind Dylan and hugged her from behind. She turned around his arms and kissed him happily in return. Eve smiled at the loving sight and then looked away, feeling awkward. When their lips finished their reunion, Embry smiled at Eve.

"Hey Eve, long time no see."

"Yea, it's really been a while, Embry." Eve agreed.

"Well, come on ladies, the car is this way."

After getting settled in the car, Embry was backing up and getting onto the road. Embry, excited to have his girlfriend back, began to talk to her, asking her how her trip was and what she did. Dylan and Embry had to grimace a bit when Embry began talking. He was talking rather loud so they could hear him over the radio and it was hurting their heads.

Immediately, Dylan lowered the radio and turned to her boyfriend. "Um, Embry, could you maybe not speak as loud? We both have a _little_ bit of a hangover..."

"Alright, but please don't drink anymore, Dylan. I don't want anything to happen to you. This goes for you, too, Eve. Besides, Jake would go absolutely nuts if he found out." The mood became tense and Dylan had the need to slap her beau upside the head.

Eve changed the topic in no time at all. "Dylan, did you see Chris last night? I don't think I saw him."

"Oh, you saw him alright," She chuckled out. "You did more than see him."

"What are you talking about?"

"He got there about thirty minutes after midnight, and you were already pretty drunk by then. Seriously Eve, you're an incredible light-weight." Dylan laughed.

"Dylan..."

"Sorry, sorry. Anyways, so he found you dancing with me and then stole you away. I followed you and eavesdropped on the conversation out of curiosity. Long story short, he asked why you weren't returning his texts because that he really liked you and wanted to know why you didn't want to be with him. Then you laughed in his face and told him that you loved someone else, for a few seconds you acted sober and told him he was a nice guy, but just wasn't right for you and that there were other fish in the sea."

Eve couldn't believe herself.

_Yup, I'm never drinking again for the rest of my life._

Embry was soon pulling up to Eve's old home and she felt happy when she saw that it was looking well kept. The dark green grass was mowed, the porch was swept, the few potted plants were watered and looking healthy, and the house looked homier than ever.

"Oh, Embry! You fixed the house up!" Dylan grinned. "It looks beautiful!"

Embry chuckled and grinned himself when she kissed his cheek. "Yea, I thought you'd like it. What about you, Eve? Do you like it?"

"Yes, I love it, Embry. Thank you for doing it."

Dylan, Embry and Eve got off the Yukon and carried their luggage into the house. Embry helped Dylan move back into the guest room while Eve moved back into her old one. Eve decided there wasn't a need to unpack, she would only be staying for a few days until her flight back to Los Angeles.

As she set her things down onto the ground, her head throbbed with a headache. There was a soft rasping on her door and she opened it without a second thought.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Dylan inquired gingerly, walking inside with a cup of what looked like juice.

"Headache." She replied, and sat down on her bed, her sister doing the same and plopping down beside her. "What's that?"

"It's Pedialyte. Here, drink some."

"The children's drink?"

"Yea." Dylan laughed. "Emily was watching an episode of Dr. Oz and they said that this helps hangovers. I called Embry before we left Los Angeles and asked him to go get some. I don't know what I'd do without him sometimes."

"Me either." She replied as she took a sip.

"I'm sorry about Embry bringing him up in the car. I don't think he knows why you're here, so I guess he assumed that you and him were back on good terms."

"It's fine, don't worry about it."

Dylan sighed and nodded her head slowly. "Okay, well... Embry and I are going over to Emily's and Sam's, we're going to see everyone. You want to come?"

"No, thanks. I'd kinda like to get some shut eye. Tell them I say hello, though."

"Alright, I will. Sleep tight." Dylan replied, walking towards the door. "We're going to walk over there, Embry and I want to catch up, so we're leaving the car for you to go see Darla when you wake up."

"Thanks. Have fun."

Dylan nodded and gave a smile. "Bye, see you later. We'll bring you back some food from Emily's for dinner if you want. Just give me a call."

As soon as Dylan left the room, Eve was out cold on her bed. She awoke a few hours later feeling much better. She looked at the clock on her phone and saw it was going to be five o'clock. The cemetery closed at six-thirty.

Eve tossed off the blankets and sat up in bed, letting out a groggy yawn. After collecting herself, she slipped on the same converse shoes and black and grey hoodie she had on earlier. She grabbed her purse and the keys to the Yukon that were on the counter and was soon driving off towards the cemetery.

Jacob pulled up his denim shorts and slipped on his shoes before walking out into the clearing. He walked up the porch and entered the Uley home, noticing that Dylan had come back to La Push quickly.

_Probably couldn't stay away from Embry..._ He concluded.

"Hey Jacob," She was the first one to notice his appearance. "How was your patrol?"

"Boring, but there's always the stench of that one damn vamp."

"You mean the one that was always hanging around Eve's place?"

"Yea..." He grumbled.

"Was she feeling any better when we left?" Embry questioned his imprint curiously.

Dylan nodded her head. "Yea, when we got home I gave her the Pedialyte you bought." She replied with a smile.

Jacob looked at the couple in confusion. "What are you guys talking about?"

"I didn't tell you?" Dylan looked dumbfounded. "Eve's here in La Push."

"Really? Why?" He asked, trying to sound uninterested, though he was failing horribly.

"She wanted to put flowers on Darla's grave."

Jacob's face lost it's color and everyone stared at him looking puzzled.

"Are... you okay, Jake?" Embry asked.

"She went to the cemetery?" He asked out in a rush.

"Yea, she wanted to put flowers on Darla's grave." Dylan repeated. "Why? What's wrong?"

"That damn leech's stench is all over that place!" Jacob yelled, bolting for the door, the rest of the pack following. "No!" Jacob yelled and turned around to face them.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Embry questioned.

"Eve's _my _imprint! _I'll _be the one to kill that bloodsucker!" He growled.

All was silent till Sam spoke up. "If you need back up or if_anything_gets out of hand you call for us." He stated.

Jacob only nodded before racing into the thick line of trees and shifting, leaving his pack in the dust, and heading to protect the one thing that he lived for.

Eve placed the bouquet of assorted flowers into the small cup that resided in the ground. While she was kneeling down, she ran her fingers over her mother's name and sighed sadly. It was hard to go through a birthday without her mother by her side.

"Hey mom..." she greeted. "Guess what... I'm officially eighteen today." Eve chuckled out emptily as a few tears made their way down her cheeks. "I really miss you... this birthday just isn't the same knowing that you're not here to wish me a happy birthday. I know that you would if you could, though. I love you so much, mom..."

"Aw... isn't that _sweet_...?" A raspy voice questioned.

The voice sent shivers throughout Eve's body, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and her legs immediately propelled her up and spun her around to face the man. He was taller than she was, possibly as tall as Jacob. He looked older than Jacob, but not over the age of twenty-five. His golden bangs hung in front of his blood red eyes and they contrasted greatly with his pale fair skin.

"It's you..." Eve gasped out, taking a few steps back.

The man let out a chuckle, and nodded. "So... you remember me, huh? It's the_eyes_isn't it? It's always the eyes." Eve couldn't find it in her to speak, she simply continued to back up, the man taking a few steps forward. "Would you like to have a name to go with these eyes of mine...?"

Eve shook her head frantically and the man bellowed out in laughter. "I'll tell you anyways..." He replied. "The name's Damien."

"Does it look like I care? Just leave me alone."

"Ooh, you've got a big mouth, especially when you're not in the position to. I would usually find it a bit annoying, but right now... it's kind of amusing."

Eve took a quick glance back and saw she was now a few steps away from the Yukon, and she quickly slipped out the keys that were in her back jean pocket. As soon as the key was out she was forced into the car with a tough shun at which she let out a yell from shock and slight pain.

"No, no, no, no, no... you're not leaving here, babe." Damien's hand swiped away the keys and threw them to the side. "You're mine."

"What are you going to do?"

"Something I've wanted to do since I _smelled_ you..." He growled.

_What _is _this guy...?! _Eve's mind screamed.

"However..." He smirked and leaned into her, their foreheads touching and Eve's heart racing. "Since I love to play with my food... I'll give you a thirty second head start."

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"You're wasting time..." He sung tauntingly.

Not knowing what to do, she ran for it. Eve's legs carried her as fast as they could into the trees that would, hopefully, confuse Damien and make him lose her. The thirty seconds felt like ten when she was being tackled to the dirt ground. Her blood-curdling scream echoed, and Damien laughed as he pushed her onto her back, holding her down by her forearms.

"Get off me!" Eve shrieked. "Get _off _me!"

"No way, babe. I've been waiting for this for a long time."

"GET OFF HER!"

Eve's head snapped to the side and saw Jacob sprinting towards them, eyes ablaze with fury, nostrils flaring, and hands balled into thick fists. Jacob jumped into the air and her eyes widened as she watched him shift. Jacob's skin erupted, being replaced by fur, and his body grew larger, the transformation happening in milliseconds. Damien was shoved off of Eve and the two supernatural beings fought for the girl. Eve pushed and kicked herself away until she stopped against a tree, using it as support to help her up as her legs continued to quiver underneath her, ready to give out at any moment.

The wolf, which Jacob had changed into, bit down into Damien's torso, shaking him around like a chew toy before tossing him aside into trees. Jacob looked at Eve and their eyes connected. Eve was concerned for him, she was worried that he would get hurt. If he did, it would be her fault. The wolf let out a howl and that's when she got the idea.

Eve didn't waste any time and sprinted away once more, letting her feet carry her to safety. Eve found it a challenge to run through the woods with leaves that made her occasionally lose her balance. She could see a clearing up ahead, and while she wasn't looking at her foot placement, she tripped over an uprooted root. Eve landed upon her palms, and gasped when she felt a sharp pain on her right hand. Eve looked at her palm and found a large cut from a rock, blood oozing out quickly.

"Shit..." She mumbled, quickly picking herself up and continuing to run towards the clearing.

Eve wished that she had stayed in the woods once realizing that she was at the edge of a cliff. Her eyes watered up and a few tears fell soon after.

"EVE!"

She looked over her shoulder and saw Jacob standing at another cliff that looked about one hundred feet away. "JAKE!" She called back. She wanted to ask what was going on, she wanted to ask why Damien was after her and when it would all be over, but her voice just wouldn't work the way she wanted it to.

"Eve, you have to _jump_!"

"Jake, I can't...! I'm afraid of heights!"

"Eve, you have to! Do it for me!"

Eve wiped away a few tears and walked over to the edge, staring down at the large fall. She willed her legs to bend and thrust her over the edge, though they would not budge an inch forward. Eve shook her head frantically.

"I can't! I can't do it!" She sobbed. "I just can't..."

She backed up and jumped when she bumped into something. Spinning around, she came face to face with a smirking Damien.

Jacob sprinted back into the trees, shifting and heading towards Eve and Damien with anger and the intent to kill on his mind.

"You didn't think you could get away _that _easily, did you, Evangeline...?" His smirk grew as he smelt the blood that flowed from the cut on her palm. He took her hand and brought it up to his mouth. "Oh...? Are you trying to make it easier for me to taste your blood? That is so _thoughtful _of you, Evangeline."

Damien put Eve's index finger into his mouth, sucking off a bit of blood that had resided on the finger. "Mmm..." He groaned. "Your blood... is better than I ever imagined..."

Eve tried to push Damien away, however, it were as if he were a statue, he never moved and remained where he was.

"Oh, don't be like that, Eve. Besides, I think it's time that I _fully_ indulge myself..." Damien smirked and revealed his canines, which were much longer and sharper than any normal human's.

Eve couldn't help the scream she let out as he drew closer to her wrist with his teeth...

Out of the trees behind Damien, Jacob came shooting out in his wolf form, shoving them both off the cliff and over the edge. Eve screamed once more in fright and didn't have time to refill her lungs with air before hitting the surface of the water and diving below. Eve swam back up and broke the surface, only to be pounded by a large wave. The lack of air didn't give her time to fully register the cold temperature of the water that encased her.

Eve once more attempted to resurface, however, her plans were foiled by yet another wave crashing down upon her. Her lungs rattled inside her, and as a natural instinct, she couldn't help, but open her mouth and allow sea water to enter her mouth. Eve was soon convulsing as she suffocated and then nothing else was visible except for darkness.

Jacob fought Damien with everything he had inside him, and Damien put up just as much of a fight. The final blow was done by Jacob as he bit Damien's head and used all his strength to rip it off of his body completely. Jacob then the leech's head fall to the bottom of the sea and he shifted back into his human form, swimming up and resurfacing. From a string that was attached to his ankle, Jacob grabbed his shorts and pulled them on looking around as he did so.

"Eve!" He called out. "Eve!"

He took a large breath of air and dove under the surface, swimming down and looking around for the girl he loved. Jacob closed his eyes and thought of her. Suddenly, he got a gut feeling and swam in the direction he prayed was right.

Jacob's prayers were answered as he saw the girl's long black hair swaying around gently with the current. His heart raced with worry and his arms picked her up from the bottom, using his legs to shoot up and propel himself towards the surface.

As he broke it, he gasped for air and swam towards the beach with Eve on his back faster than he ever could have imagined. When Jacob was able to walk on the sand, he carried Eve and set her down on the sand. He didn't waste a second and began to give Eve CPR.

"Please don't die, Eve... You can't die..." Jacob mumbled. "Breathe... _Breathe_...!"

Eve coughed up sea water and her eyes opened wide. She gasped for air through her violent coughs, and Jacob grinned down at her, which Eve slowly returned.

"Jake..." She mumbled.

"I thought I'd lost you, Eve..."

"I thought so, too, but I'm glad you didn't." She replied. "Jake... kiss me...?"

Jacob stared at her in surprise. "No."

The smile Eve wore was then wiped off her face. "Why...?"

"Eve... I know you have a boyfriend. You love him. I'm not going to kiss you."

Eve smiled and then let out a light laugh. "Jacob... I'm _no one's_girlfriend. Chris was a nice, great guy, but wasn't the one for me. I'm no one's girlfriend except for yours if you want me to be."

A grin slowly, but surely made its way upon Jacob's face. "I would _love_ to have you as my girlfriend."

"Great... now let's try this again. Jake... will you kiss me?"

Jacob used his lips to answer her by connecting them together. Eve had missed this sensation greatly. It was like she was melting in his arms, just by his touch. It was like he had been graced with the presence of an angel by her soft, luscious lips. Together, it was like they had found their soul mate, and they were both pretty sure they had.


	30. Chapter 30

**Thirty**

After Eve and Jacob had reunited, time seemed to fly by for the couple as months passed. They spent all their free time together and tried to never be apart for long periods of time. They had been through the pain of that and never wanted to experience it again.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"Well, I love you most." Eve retorted, kissing his lips quickly.

"Impossible." Jacob laughed, recapturing her lips and holding her close.

As they pulled away, Eve smiled. "Alright... you win this round." She whispered.

Jacob pulled her down onto his sofa and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are you absolutely sure that you have to go to Los Angeles this weekend?"

"Mm-hm," She nodded, burying her head into his chest. "

"Yea... but I don't know why you're so down about it, I mean you're coming with me."  
He gently brought her away from him and looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What are you talking about?"  
"You and Embry are coming with Dylan and I to Los Angeles."  
"Sam put us both on patrol this weekend, he won't let us—"  
"Yes, he will. We persuaded Emily to convince him to." Eve laughed. "It's all set. You just have to pack."  
"God, I love you." Jacob grinned, kissing her lips tenderly.  
Eve pulled away and then bit her lip. "Why don't you prove it to me...?"  
Jacob smirked and got up from the couch, throwing Eve over his shoulder and carrying her into his bedroom.  
The plane landed in Los Angeles International at around noon time and the group of four were picked up by Anthony in the large SUV. The car ride home was filled with Eve, Dylan, and occasionally Anthony, explaining LA to the two boys who only really knew La Push and Port Angeles. When they pulled up to their home, the boys' jaws dropped.  
"You... have a nice... home..." Jacob said.  
"Thanks." Dylan and Eve replied.  
When they entered the home, the girls were engulfed in hugs by their parents.  
"Hello, Eve, Dylan." Evan greeted.  
"Girls, it's so good to see you again." Joanne gushed.  
"Hey, mom, dad." They replied, hugging them back just as happily.  
After their hellos, Eve cleared her throat. "Dad, mom, this is Jacob Black, my boyfriend."  
"And this is_my_boyfriend, Embry Call."  
"It's nice to meet you boys, I assume that you'll take very good care of our daughters...?" Evan greeted them with a handshake. "My name's Evan Saunders, by the way."  
"My name is Joanne Saunders, charmed I'm sure."  
"Nice to meet you both." Jacob replied.  
"It's a pleasure, sir, ma'am." Embry agreed, causing the girls to both giggle lightly and Jacob to look over his friend curiously, fighting the urge to bust out laughing.  
"Oh please, just call us by our names, nothing formal." Evan instructed, laughing himself.  
"So mom, what was so urgent that we had to come down this weekend?" Dylan asked.  
"Oh, right! Well, how about we all sit down in the family room?" She suggested leading everyone away into another room. Once everyone was seated and comfortable, Joanne smiled and leaned forward in her chair. "Alright, well, at a board meeting we were having earlier this week the topic of the fashion show was brought up. We discussed models and one of my partners suggested you both. Eve was immediately accepted because she was in last years and after some discussion, so were you, Dylan."  
"You mean we're both in it...?!" Dylan squealed.  
"Yes! Congratulations, girls!"  
Eve hugged Dylan and couldn't stop grinning. "Oh Dyl, the fashion show is amazing! You're going to love it!"  
"We're both going to do it together! This is so incredible!"  
"I"m proud of you, Eve." Jacob smiled, hugging and kissing his girlfriend atop the head.  
"Thanks," she laughed out.  
"You deserve this, Dylan. I love you." Embry told her.  
"Aw, thanks, Embry. I love you, too."  
Evan and Joanne stood up and excused themselves, stated that they had to return back to work, and left with a quick goodbye to everyone. Eve then turned to the boys and just had to ask...  
"So... what are you guys wearing to the fashion show?"  
"This," both boys replied in unison, gesturing to their denim pants and tight shirts.  
The step-sisters looked at one another and shook their heads. "Yea, right, get up." Eve ordered.  
"Why?" Jacob inquired.  
"We're going shopping!" Dylan squealed, yanking her boyfriend up from his seat and out the door.  
"Just be glad you're not Embry right now."

"I already am." He replied, kissing her lips and walking out of the home hand-in-hand.


	31. Chapter 31

**Thirty-one**

"Oh my God, Eve!" Dylan whispered. "I'm so nervous! My heart's beating so fast! It feels like it's just gonna pop out of my chest at any second!"  
Eve smiled and put her hands onto her sister's shoulders to comfort her. "Don't worry, Dyl, it'll go away when you get out there, trust me."  
Dylan nodded her head and smiled. "Thanks, Eve. I just... I can't believe that I'm opening the show." She squealed quietly.  
"Places, ladies, places!" A stagehand announced.  
Eve hugged her sister and gave her a reassuring look. "You'll do great, Dylan."  
"Jared! Bring the damn popcorn!" Paul hollered from the living room.  
Jared rolled his eyes and then threw the inflated bag of popcorn at Paul's head, laughing as it hit dead on. Paul cursed his friend's existence and then opened the bag, reaching in and soon stuffing his face with the fluffy bits of food.  
"Guys, shush!" Emily scolded, scooting closer to Sam and getting comfortable as she did so. "The Fashion Show's starting!"  
"Sorry," they mumbled.  
Everyone's eyes became glued to the television screen to watch for their friends.  
Jacob sat down in his seat at the venue next to Embry, Evan and Joanne. Dylan and Eve had secured four seats for them to occupy so they could watch the show live. As Jacob got comfortable, Evan got his attention.  
"Jacob, are you sure about tonight?"  
"Absolutely."  
Evan smiled and gave a lighthearted chuckle. "All right, because we're set. Aren't we, Joanne?"  
"Oh yes, I made sure everything was ready." She agreed.  
"Great, I can't thank you both enough."  
"There's no need to, Jacob." They both convinced him.  
Their conversation was cut short as ballerinas took the stage and danced gracefully atop it. The sweet and slow song they swayed to then came to a halt and was replaced by a guitar and all the dancers took a knee and stared at the beginning of the runway where Dylan stood in heroutfit. The song "You Make Me Wanna Die" by The Pretty Reckless was played as she made her way down the catwalk, eyes forward with a small smile playing her lips.  
As she walked by the group of four, they all cheered and caused her small smile to form a grin instead along with a laugh that made Embry shudder in delight. As Dylan made her way off the catwalk, and other models came along, they all simmered down until Eve took the stage in her owncostume. The group did the same thing as they had done with Dylan and the reaction from the girl was the same.  
As the last model left, the stage was immediately being transformed as they went to commercial. A curtain went down and as the came back from the commercials, a new song immediately began to play. The curtain lifted up and Kanye West began to perform his hit "Stronger" as models came out and walked the runway.  
The third segment began moments later, and Rihanna's "California King Bed" began to play. Dylan was the second model to walk and just as they had before, the group cheered for the blonde. Dylan played with herensemble'strain for a few seconds before unleashing a smile that made Embry's knees quiver and ultimately made him fall into his seat.  
The next segment came on a few minutes later, the band Maroon 5 getting set up on stage with their equipment during the commercial break. The band then began to play their new single "Moves Like Jagger" as the models did their job.  
The next part was started by OneRepublic and the song "Secrets" that came out from the speakers. Dylan came out in a beautifulcostumethat seemed to make her glow as she swayed her hips down the runway. After she sent a smile towards the camera, the blond was heading back down the catwalk and out of sight.  
Nicki Minaj came out in costume along with dancers and soon began to sing "Super Bass" as they got back from commercials. Eve was one of the last few out as she made her way down the runway with her fun and flirtyoutfiton for all to see. She blew a kiss at the cameras before retreating back, waving at the group as she passed.  
The show ended as all the models came out onto the runway, celebrating another fashion show that was successfully executed with streamers, balloons, and Lady Gaga's song "Born This Way". Eve and Dylan looked over at the group of four to find that it was now a group of three, Jacob was missing.  
_Where could he have gone...?_Eve thought.  
Eve shrugged it off and then made her way off the runway along with the other models, heading backstage where they would all undress and unwind from the show before heading off to the after party. Eve picked up her backpack from her make up station and turned to face Lily.  
"Hey Eve, you going to come to the after party?"  
"Yeah, after I change and get ready."  
"Cool, well, how about you and your boyfriend come with Caleb and I?"  
"Sure, that sounds good."  
"Great, well, we'll both be waiting at the exit so just find us when you're ready."  
"Alright, thanks Lily."  
Eve headed off into the changing rooms where she switched out her costume for her regularclothesand slipped on her boots, lacing them up quickly before exiting and returning to her make up station. She packed up her things and felt a tap on her shoulder. Eve looked over her shoulder and saw Dylan standing behind her.  
"He Dyl, what's up?"  
"Nothing. Jacob wants to talk to you. He says that it's really important." She answered, her face a blank expression. "He's over by the stage so you better hurry."  
"Um, alright, thanks for letting me know, Dylan." Eve said before beginning to head off to find her boyfriend."_That_wasn't weird at_all_..." She mumbled under her breath.  
Eve walked onto the dark stage and her eyes were brought to the end of the runway where there was a single light shinning down, a silhouette standing beneath it, and Eve knew right away it belonged to Jacob. Still, her body moved slowly down the runway towards him. It was just that she had a strange feeling in her stomach...  
As she reached him, she softly whispered his name. "Jacob...?"  
He turned around slowly, smiling at her when he took every part of her in. As he smiled, her eyes lit up and carried a gleam in them which they both knew only Jacob could restore in them.  
"Eve..." He sighed out her name dreamily, causing goosebumps to erupt on her skin. Eve began to grow nervous as the feeling in her stomach grew stronger.  
"Yes...?"  
"Do you think that we're right for each other...?" He questioned.  
_That_had certainly caught her off guard, however, it didn't take her long to give him a serious answer. "Yes. I think we're right for each other."  
"Well, Eve... that's the thing. I_don't_." He replied and a lump began to make itself present in Eve's throat as he did. "I don't think we're right for each other."  
Eve held the tears back for as long as she could, but one had made it past her defenses and it slipped down her cheek rapidly. "Jake," She croaked. "Are you... are you_breaking up_with me...?" She whispered softly, almost inaudibly.  
Jacob's hand reached up and used his fingers to keep her chin up as his thumb wiped away the tear streak he had created. He frowned at the thought that_he_had been the one to create it.  
"Eve... I don't think we're right for each other." He repeated. "I think we're_perfect_for each other, and Eve, I would_never_break up with you. I would rather die than have to break your heart. I love you."  
Eve smiled in relief and cupped Jacob's hand that was now resting upon her cheek. "I love you, too, Jake."  
"Eve... you have to understand. I love you more than anything in the world. You're what makes every day worth getting up for. You're what makes me happy to be alive. You're my light at the end of the darkest tunnel. You're my life_and_my world. You were the one thing I never knew I needed until I saw you that day in high school, and until I had set my eyes on you, I never knew that someone could outshine the sun."  
A few more tears had escaped Eve's honey orbs and slipped down her cheeks throughout Jacob's heartfelt speech and her heart had never felt so filled or so warm in her life. "Oh Jake, I love you so much." She softly cried, a small smile planted upon her lips. "You're all of that and more to me. I don't know what I would do without you in my life. You've saved me so many times, in every way a person_can_be saved. Without you in my life... I'd have nothing to live for."  
Jacob smiled and wiped away a few more tears before pulling back his hand and reaching inside his tuxedo's pocket, pulling out a velvet case. In all honesty, Eve hadn't noticed the small black box, her eyes remained on Jacob's and they didn't want to look away for anything else in the world.  
"Eve..." Jacob began, getting onto one knee and lifting up the black case into sight. "I can't live without you in my life either. It would be impossible and I wouldn't want to either way. I almost lost you. I don't want to go through that again. That's why I want to ask you to never leave my side. That why I want to ask you to grant me the greatest honor that any man could ever have... Evangeline Blair, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?"  
He lifted up the top of the black case and revealed it's contents, a sparklingdiamond ringstaring right back at Eve. Her heart pounded in her chest and she looked at Jacob and couldn't hold back her grin or the other tears that followed.  
"Yes! Yes! I will, Jacob!" She cried.  
Jacob grinned from ear to ear and shot up, picking her up and spinning her around a few times before letting her back down onto solid ground. They both laughed as they fumbled getting the ring out from the box and onto her finger and when it finally had, they both stared at it for a few seconds, letting it sink in.  
"So..." Jacob began. "How does it feel knowing you're going to become Mrs. Jacob Black in the future?"  
"I think it feels like it was meant to be."  
"Well, I would have to agree."  
Eve led Jacob through the back and grabbed her things, heading for the exits. Lily stood there along with her husband Caleb, Dylan, Embry and Eve's parents. Eve walked up to Lily, still grinning and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Lily, but I'm not going to make the after party. I'm going to be spending the rest of the night with my fiancé."


	32. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

He coughed violently as the dust flew up and into his lungs,

his hands waving frantically in an attempt to clear the air of the particles

faster. Once most of it had gone, he continued his snooping. He was looking for

a doll that Quinn, the daughter of Sam and Emily Uley, would like since she had

lost her old one a few days ago. The adolescent was looking through their attic

knowing that his grandmother had probably stashed a few of his mother's own

dolls from when she was a little girl in boxes up there. He soon found a large

box labeled "TOYS" near the more cluttered and dusty part of the

boy opened the box and began to rummage through its contents until he found one

that she would like. Finally he had found a doll he knew she'd love and smiled

in victory as he picked it up from the bottom of the box. The youth noticed how

dusty it was and began to wipe away the dirt with the back of his hand. After he

had found the doll, he let his curiosity get the better of him and began to look

over everything in the eyes instantly landed upon a tall object

that it was covered by a black sheet. His feet carried him over to it and his

arms moved on their own as they took the sheet off. He wondered what a bridal

gownwas doing up here... "It looked amazing on your mom when we were

getting married."The young boy spun around and saw his father standing

there, a smile playing his lips and a sort of reminiscent gleam in his

eyes."You say she looks good in everything dad." The boy

droned. "Well, it's true isn't it?" He chuckled. "What are you doing up here,

Connor?"The boy sighed. "Quinn Uley lost her old doll so I found an old one

of mom's." "Really? Sam tells me that you ran her old one over with your bike

and ruined it."Connor stiffened. "Uncle Paul and Jared dared me to do it!

They said that I'd get cooties if I didn't!"Jacob let out a laugh that

seemed to shake the entire house and shook his head. "Well, either way, you

shouldn't have done that. Quinn was really upset about losing her favorite doll.

You should apologize when you give her that new one." "I know..." The boy

pouted. "I will." "That's my boy." Jacob nodded in approval while tousling

the boy's dark chocolate hair. The boy smiled a smile that reminded Jacob of Eve

and he grinned himself "What are you boys both doing up here?" The two

men turned to see the head of Eve popping up from the small opening in the

floor. Jacob's eyes widened and jumped over boxes to get to her. "Eve, what

are you doing?" He questioned her quickly, as she went to answer him, he cut her

off. "Never mind that! Get down! You're pregnant!" ''Jacob Ephraim Black,

I'm pregnant, not some kind of missile that's going to

explode!"Connor watched his father help his mother back down the ladder, all

the while having a panic attack every time she took a step down, and turned back

to the wedding dress. He quickly covered it up again and then made his way down

the stairs as well, leaving the attic and the precious memories it held to the

Black walked to the couch and picked up his backpack from the

furniture, stuffing the doll inside and walking towards the front door. "Bye,

grandpa." The child said as he passed a sleeping, gray-haired Billy The

senior citizen then opened his eyes tiredly and smiled at his grandchild. "Have

a good day at school, kiddo."Jacob and Eve watched from the kitchen window

as their seven-year-old son talked to the five-year-old Quinn Uley, a light

blush on his cheeks and a smile spreading across the girl's face as she received

the new doll. Quinn enveloped Connor in a hug and had to chase after him when

Connor pulled away just as fast, once again getting nervous about contracting

cootiesEve smiled and gave a light laugh. "I wonder... will Connor imprint

on Quinn when he's older...? We just have to wait and see, Eve." Jacob

answered, kissing his wife on the top of her head. "For now... let's wonder

about the two we have on the way." He placed his rugged hands onto her large

belly that was fit for two and rubbed it softly.

Yes... Sarah and Darla Black."


End file.
